Z Falling for the Morgans Complete
by Fanatical Writer
Summary: Derek Morgan and Penelope Garcia had been best friends for years. But when Penelope, fresh off a broken engagement began to fall for Derek, no one was more surprised than she was!
1. Chapter 1

Chessie sighed as she put her elbows on the table, then her chin in her hands. "I can't wait for my daddy to get home."

"I bet," Penelope said as she put a spoonful of peas into her mouth. She almost gagged as she began to chew, but she had to set a good example for the little girls. She tried her best not to make any faces as she swallowed. She hated peas.

"He's been gone for a very long time," Millie chimed in.

Penelope grinned at the other little girl. "I know it seems like it. But it's only been two days. He's been gone longer than this before."

Millie sighed. "Yes, but I've _never_ missed him this much," she said dramatically.

"Hello!" they heard from the front door.

Both girls jumped down from their chairs at the kitchen table and ran for the living room. "Daddy!" they screeched in unison. They did a lot of things like that.

"How're my girls?" Derek asked as he dropped his ready bag by the front door.

"I _missed_ you!" Chessie told him as she came racing up to him. He lifted her as she jumped into his arms.

"_I_ missed you more," Millie said, hot on her sisters' heels. They were forever competing with each other.

Derek bent down and put his nose on Millies, then moved it back and forth. "You missed me the same amount," he informed her. "And I missed you two, too."

"How long are you home for this time?" Chessie asked.

"At least for three nights," Derek said as he scooped his other daughter up and made his way into the kitchen, a little girl on each hip. "It smells good in here," he said appreciatively.

"Sick of take out?" Penelope asked in amusement.

He nodded. "Yep. What'd you make?"

"Shake 'n Bake pork chops, mashed potatoes, and peas," she answered.

"Sounds good."

She shrugged. "It was OK," she said, putting her plate in the dishwasher.

"Stop," he said as he put the girls down.

"What?" she asked.

"You've been watching my kids for three days. Don't do my dishes, too."

"Sorry," she said with a laugh as she closed the dishwasher door. "Habit."

He grinned at her. "I promise I'm in the process of hiring a housekeeper," he told her.

"Do I look worried about it?" she asked.

He shook his head.

"All right," she said. "I am off."

"Hot date?" he asked, grabbing a clean plate from the cabinet. He looked at the plastic princess plates on the table. "You guys need to finish supper," he said to his daughters.

They climbed up into their chairs without argument—unusual for them.

"Yeah. Max is waiting for me at home. With dessert," she said with a grin.

"He's a lucky, lucky man, Garcia," he said in a teasing tone.

"So you keep telling me," she shot back. She went over to Millie and kissed her on the forehead, then did the same to Chessie. "See you girls next time," she said.

"Bye, Penelope!" they said in unison.

She grinned at them over her shoulder.

"Thanks, Garcia," Derek yelled to her.

"No problem," she returned.

___

"So..." Max said with a grin. "What do you think about a vacation?"

"I think it sounds amazing," Penelope said longingly.

"I was hoping you would say that." He reached for the drawer of the nightstand beside her bed and pulled two tickets out. "I got us tickets to Cancun."

Penelope gasped and grabbed them from his hand. "Cancun!" She looked at the date and her face fell. "These are for two weeks away," she said.

He nodded. "I know. The sooner, the better."

"I can't just go to Cancun in two weeks," she told him.

"Why not?" he asked.

"Well, Derek isn't gonna be able to find someone to watch the girls on such short notice if the team gets called away," she told him.

"That's not your problem," Max argued.

Penelope's eyes widened in disbelief. "Well, it kind of is," she argued.

"How?"

"Because I've been watching them for him for a while now. I couldn't just desert him like that."

"So, let me get this straight. You can't go on vacation because Derek _might_ need you?"

"Yes," she muttered.

"_That_ is pretty fucked up," Max said angrily

"Are you jealous of two three year old little girls?" Penelope asked.

Max scowled. "Jealous? No. Fed up with? Yes."

"Max, they don't have a mother. She deserted them, remember? I can't do that, too."

"I'm asking you to go away with me for ten days," he told her. "I'm not asking you to desert them."

"I…" Penelope sighed. "I can't do it. Derek's my friend, Max. And he needs me. So do the girls."

"Is it gonna be like this all the time?" Max asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, what if I get promoted after we're married and we have to move for my job?" he asked.

"We'll discuss that if it happens," she told him.

"We're discussing it _now_," he told her.

"I…" Penelope was at a loss for words. "I…wouldn't be…able to leave the girls," she said quietly.

"And what happens if Derek meets someone and gets remarried?" Max asked.

Penelope shrugged. "Then he probably wouldn't need me anymore."

"And you're just gonna put your life on hold until then," he said irritated.

"My life isn't on hold," she argued. "I'm engaged to you and…I thought we were happy. I'm living my life. It's just a little…out of the ordinary right now."

Max shook his head. "That's not good enough for me, Penelope."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"You can put your life on hold if you want to. But I'm not gonna do that."

"Are you breaking up with me?" she asked.

He nodded. "Yeah. I guess I am."

"But you knew that they were a part of my life when we got together!"

"Yes, but I though your priorities might change once we got engaged and then married. Clearly _that's _not gonna happen," Max deduced.

"Max, look, I'm sorry if—"

"You're doing a good thing, Penelope," he said softly. "But I'm not willing to share you with Derek and his kids."


	2. Chapter 2

"I am the _worst_ father on the planet," Derek said, plopping himself down into the chair next to Penelope. He took a long sip out of his coffee cup.

She turned away from her computer screen with a laugh. "You are not even _close _to being the worst father on the planet," she contradicted.

"You know what Chessie asked me for today?" he asked.

"What?" Penelope said, already amused. His daughters kept him on his toes.

"A braid that's French. What the hell is the difference between an American braid and a French braid?" he asked in confusion. Not that he even really knew what an _American_ braid was. "She _freaked_ out when I told her that I wouldn't be able to give her one. And when I say freaked out, I _mean _freaked out. I had to stay with her at daycare for half an hour before she stopped sobbing."

Penelope laughed heartily.

"What in the hell did I do to deserve such a dramatic daughter?" he asked.

She grinned at him. "Do you really want me to answer that?"

He sighed. "Nope." He sat there for a minute. "Seriously, what in the hell is a French braid?"

"A French braid is…" Her voice trailed off and she held a finger up. "Better to show you," she said, turning to her computer screen. "Let's Google it!" Penelope typed her search in and images flooded her screen.

Derek stood up and practically pushed her out of the way trying to look at the pictures close up. "How in the _hell_ do you do that?" he asked in wonderment.

Penelope laughed. "Like this," she said, spinning her chair around so he was looking at the back of her head. She began to separate her hair. "You break the hair up into three sections and intertwine them, one at a time." She started to demonstrate.

Derek sniffed the air. "Do you use coconut shampoo?" he asked.

"Yeah."

"Damn. That smells _good_," he complimented.

"Focus, Derek."

He sank back down into the chair. "I'll never be able to do that," he said. "These hands weren't made for braiding. They were made for..." She turned around and he wiggled his eyebrows at her, holding his hands out in front of him.

Penelope rolled her eyes. "Sweet Lord," she said. "Those hands haven't even seen action for…who _knows_ how long?" She slapped them away.

He laughed as his hands fell to his lap. "I sure as hell don't. But, hey. Speaking of action…how did it go with _Romeo_ Friday night?"

Penelope sighed. "You mean Romey-x?"

"What?" Derek asked, straightening.

She cleared her throat. "We broke up."

"What?" he asked again.

"We. Broke. Up," she repeated slowly, as if English was his second language.

He rolled his eyes. "I got that. I meant _why_?" he clarified.

"We…wanted different things," she said evasively, turning her attention back to her computer screen.

"Penelope," Derek said sternly.

"What?" she asked distractedly. It didn't work. He reached for her chair and spun it around.

"Talk to me," he commanded.

Penelope would die before she'd tell Derek that he and his daughters had been mentioned while Max had been breaking up with her. "I…thought I was going to get laid, but instead I…got single," she said.

He lifted an eyebrow. "Well, the laid I can help you out with, but the single part…you know I've sworn off women," he said in a teasing tone.

Penelope rolled her eyes. "I don't _need_ to get laid," she told him. "I just didn't expect to be broken up with."

"I'm sorry, Garcia," he said softly.

"Yeah, well. Don't be. I've made my peace with it."

"Really?" he asked doubtfully.

She shook her head. "Yep. Me, Ben, Jerry, and the Lifetime Movie Network. As it turns out, no one got kidnapped, I've never been held hostage, and I'm not in a coma. Life is pretty damn good."

Derek laughed. "Well, if that's all it takes, then I must say that _my_ life is pretty damn good, too."

He stood up and put his hands on the arms of her chair, then leaned down and kissed her on the nose. "But then again, I've got you."

With that, he walked out of her office.

___

"Hey," JJ said as she walked into the lunch room.

"Hey," Penelope returned.

JJ pulled her lunch out of the refrigerator and put it in the microwave, then hit a few buttons. She came over and sat down across from Penelope. "So, how's—" JJ lifted her eyes to her friends. "Where's your ring?" she asked in disbelief.

Penelope shrugged.

"Did you leave it by the kitchen sink?" JJ asked desperately.

Her friend shook her head.

"Did it fall down the drain?" She really was grasping at straws.

"Wrong again," Penelope said softly. "We broke up."

"Awww…I'm sorry," JJ said as the microwave beeped. She got up and went to get her lunch, then returned to the table. "You OK?"

"Yeah," Penelope said honestly. There was a moment of silence. "Do you believe that everything happens for a reason?"

"Of course I do," JJ said.

"So do I. And if I believe that…then how can I not be OK?" Penelope reasoned.

JJ tilted her head to the side. "That's a good question."

Penelope nodded.

"He wasn't for you, anyway," JJ said.

Her friend laughed. "You don't think so?" she asked.

JJ shook her head. "Nope."

Penelope grinned. "Who _is_ for me?" she asked in a teasing tone.

JJ blew on her mashed potatoes and then took a bite. "Morgan," she said. "You're ultimately gonna end up married to him."

Disbelieving laughter bubbled up Penelope's throat. "_What?_" she asked shrilly.

JJ smiled. "You're always the last to know, aren't you, Garcia?"

"Wha—that's not even _close_ to being true," she disputed.

"OK," JJ said, obviously placating her friend. She continued eating her lunch as if all was normal with the world. As if she _hadn't _just dropped the biggest piece of news ever into her friends lap.

Penelope grabbed the Ziploc container and pulled it away.

"Hey!" JJ said, grabbing it back.

"I am _not_ going to marry Derek Morgan," she hissed.

Prentiss chose that moment to walk into the lunch room and pulled her typical Lean Cuisine meal from the freezer.

"Prentiss?" JJ said.

"Yeah?" she asked distractedly.

"Who's Garcia gonna marry?" JJ asked.

"Morgan," she said, without missing a beat.

"Wait! What…Derek's sworn off women," Penelope informed them.

"Yes. But for how long?" Prentiss asked dryly, popping her Lean Cuisine in the microwave. "You're in his vicinity every day, and…well…he's a self proclaimed breast man."

Prentiss gave Garcia's chest a pointed look. Penelope's jaw dropped and she had all she could do not to cross her arms over her breasts.

Reid walked into the kitchen, his nose in a book, and refilled his coffee cup. "Hey, Reid," Prentiss said.

"Yeah?" he asked not looking up.

"If you could pick the one person on the planet for Morgan to marry—"

"Garcia," he said before she could even finish the question, then walked back out of the kitchen.

Penelope's eyes widened. "Do you guys _talk_ about it?" she asked piercingly. A good grilling was in order.

Prentiss laughed. "Only all the time," she admitted.

"Oh, my God!" Penelope dropped her head on the table.

JJ reached over and gave her shoulder a squeeze. "At least now you're in the know," JJ said. Her stupid glass was _always_ half full.

"Hey," Derek said as he walked into the kitchen. No one said anything, and he looked around. His teammates were quiet. They were _never _quiet. "What'd I miss?" he asked curiously.


	3. Chapter 3

"So what were you guys talking about in the lunch room today?" Derek asked as he sat down in the chair next to Penelope. It seemed that when the agents were actually in the building, he spent more time at _her_ desk than he did at his own.

Penelope shrugged. "I can't remember," she lied.

"Well, it had to have been about me," he reasoned. "When I walked in, everyone shut up."

Penelope turned to him long enough to grin. "Paranoid much?" she teased.

He laughed. "You're probably right." He looked at the clock and groaned. "It's only 3:30," he said.

"The office isn't exciting enough for you?"

Derek shook his head. "Never. I hate paperwork."

"Well, it needs to be done," she reminded him.

Derek's phone beeped and he looked at the caller ID, then frowned.

"What?" Penelope asked.

"It's the girls' daycare," he said, flipping it open. "Morgan," he said, getting up and walking out of her office.

He returned thirty seconds later. "Millie's got a fever. I need to go pick her up."

"Do you need me to do anything?" she asked.

He shook his head. "No. I'll stop and get some Motrin on my way to pick her up. We should be fine."

"Do you want me to pick Chessie up when I leave work?"

"No. I'll take them both home."

"What if you need to take Millie to the emergency room?" she asked.

"I'll call you," he promised.

Penelope nodded. "OK," she said as he exited her office once again.

___

The thing about having kids, Derek thought as he left the store was that they were so unpredictable. Millie had been feeling fine this morning when he'd dropped her off. _Chessie_ had been quite the drama queen, but Millie had been just fine. Of the two, she was the mellow one most of the time. So when she said she was sick, Derek went into his own form of drama queen mode.

He made his way to the daycare and pulled in, taking his sunglasses off as he headed for the building. When he walked in, one of the ladies who took care of his daughters met him in the entry way. "How is she?" he asked.

The woman frowned. "Her temperature is up to 103," she said.

He nodded. "What's she doing?" he asked.

"She's been resting in the spare room since lunch. She didn't eat anything, and I've been trying to get her to drink, but she says her belly hurts."

"OK," Derek said. "I'm gonna bring her to walk in care," he said. "Penelope Garcia will be picking up Chessie at around five-fifteen," he informed the woman.

She nodded. "I'll make a note of it," she said leading the way to a small room that held a twin bed and a television sitting on a little stand. The Little Mermaid was playing, Ariel singing about her prince.

"Hey, Princess," Derek said softly, pulling the covers off his daughter. He picked her up and put his chin on her forehead. Just as he'd expected, she was burning up.

"Daddy, my belly hurts," she said weakly.

"I know, baby," he said tenderly. "We're gonna take you to see the doctor," he told her.

"Do I have to have a shot?" she asked.

"I'm not sure what he's gonna need to do, Mil," he answered, making his way to the entry way. He put his daughter down and she swayed. He grabbed her gently and wrapped one arm around her waist while he used the other one to put her coat on her.

"What about Chessie?" she asked, suddenly remembering her sister.

"Penelope is gonna pick her up," he said.

Millie nodded and leaned into her father. Derek picked her up and they made their way to his vehicle.

___

"Hello?"

"Hey," Derek said.

"Everything OK?" Penelope asked worriedly. It was seven o'clock and this was the first she'd heard from him since he'd asked her to pick Chessie up.

"Yeah. She has the flu," Derek told her. "And Chessie is probably next. Can you put the liquids to her so she doesn't get dehydrated?" he asked.

"Sure thing," Penelope said.

"The doctor just wants to get some more fluid in her, and then he's gonna let us go. We should be home within the next few hours," he informed her.

"That's fine," Penelope said. "Do you need me to do anything else? Go to the store or anything?"

"No, I think we're all set. But thanks," he said sincerely.

"No problem. I'll see you when you get home," Penelope said as she hit the button to disconnect the call.

___

Penelope opened the door a few hours later as Derek walked through the front door. Millie was fast asleep in his arms.

"She OK?" Penelope asked in a whisper.

"Yeah, she's fine," he said. "Her fever is gone and her color is back, so that makes _me_ feel a lot better."

Penelope nodded. "Her pajama's are at the foot of her bed," she said.

"Great, thanks," he said. "Chessie sleeping?"

Penelope grinned at him. "Oh, no. She couldn't _possibly_ fall asleep without her sister in the room," she said dramatically.

Derek laughed. "That sounds like my girl," he said, heading for the stairs.

Penelope followed Derek upstairs so she could say good night to Chessie and was surprised when he brought Millie into his own room.

She was on her way out of the room with the little girls' pajamas when Derek walked in. "Hey," he said heading for Chessies' bed.

She sat up. "Is Millie feeling better?" she asked worriedly.

Derek nodded as he sat down beside her. "Yeah. She's just tired," he told her. He tilted his head to the side and grinned. "Your hair looks pretty," he said.

"It's a French braid," she said excitedly. "Penelope did it."

"She did a great job," he complimented.

Chessie nodded as she crawled into her daddy's lap. "Where is Millie?" she asked.

"Millie is gonna sleep with me tonight," he said.

"How come?" Chessie asked.

"Because if she wakes up and gets sick, I want to be able to hear her," he explained.

Chessie nodded. "Can I see her, daddy?" she asked quietly.

Derek nodded as he stood up, his daughter in his arms. "Yes, but she's sleeping, so I need you to be very quiet, OK?"

"OK," Chessie said seriously.

Derek brought her into his room, and was surprised to find that Penelope had already put Millie in her pajamas and tucked her into his bed.

Chessie sighed as she studied her sisters' face. "OK, daddy," she said, satisfied. "I can go to sleep now." She turned to Penelope. "Will you tuck me in?" she asked.

"Sure," Penelope said.

Chessie turned to her father and gave him a kiss. "Good night, Daddy," she said.

"Good night, baby," Derek said, handing her over to Penelope.

___

"Hey," Derek said coming down over the stairs. He wanted to talk to Penelope before she took off. "Thanks so much."

"No problem," she said, putting her jacket on.

"I don't know what I'd do without you," he said genuinely.

She laughed. "You'd be fine, I'm sure."

"Well, I'm _not_ so sure," he said. "Don't minimize your part in our lives, Penelope. I just want you to know how much I appreciate everything you do for us."

_You're ultimately gonna end up married to him._ JJ's voice invaded her thoughts. God, she hoped her face didn't turn red. That would _really_ raise questions. "I'm happy to help out," she said quickly. Stupid JJ!

Derek grinned at her. "See you later," he said.

___

Penelope slammed the door to her car. She was going to _kill_ JJ. And quite possibly Reid and Prentiss while she was at it.

When Derek had grinned at her, her insides had actually quivered. She'd _felt_ them. He'd grinned at her thousands of times before, and she'd _never_ had that reaction. For God's sake, her fiancé had just broken up with her three days ago! She couldn't possibly be ready to date yet.

And she'd _never_ be ready to date Derek Morgan. Penelope was quite sure he was more man than she'd _ever_ be able to handle.


	4. Chapter 4

Derek was exhausted. Millie had slept through the night, but at eleven o'clock, Chessie had come into his room crying, saying her belly hurt. Not long after that, she'd thrown up, the first of many times. Trying to get her to stay in bed was like fighting a losing battle.

He was making dry toast for Millie when Chessie walked into the kitchen, her little arms crossed over her chest.

"I _said_ I want Penelly-p!" she said angrily.

"Honey," Derek said patiently. "Today is Tuesday and Penelope has to work."

"She'll leave work to come see me!" she said with confidence.

And there was no doubt in his mind that she would. But he wasn't going to call her and pull her away from work when he was home to take care of them. "Francesca, I said no," he reminded her firmly.

"If Penelope finds out that I asked for her and you didn't call her, she's gonna be _really_ mad!" Chessie yelled shrilly, beginning to sob.

"Honey," Derek said softly. He went over and picked her up. "If you keep crying like that, you're gonna make yourself throw up again," he told her.

"But I don't _wanna_ throw up again!" she wailed.

"Then you need to calm down," he told her. "It doesn't mean you won't throw up at all, but it might not be as much."

His daughter tried to her best to stop sobbing, hiccupping on one every now and then. "I'm gonna put you back on the couch and you need to stay there and rest. What do you want me to put on for you?" he asked.

She sniffed. "Cars," she said pitifully.

He nodded as he laid her down on the couch, pushing her hair away from her face and kissing her warm little forehead. "You'll feel better soon," he promised.

___

Derek practically sprinted for the door, stepping on a Barbie doll on the way. "Fuck," he said, then looked over his shoulder to make sure the girls hadn't heard him. They were still fast asleep. Thank _God!_

He pulled the door back quickly to avoid another knock. "Hey," he said in surprise, opening the door wider.

"Hey," Penelope said stepping inside. "How're the girls?"

"Fast asleep," he whispered, nodding his head toward the couch. There was a little girl on each end. "Kitchen," he said, closing the door behind her and leading the way to the kitchen. He grabbed a bottled water from the refrigerator and sat down.

Penelope put a plastic bag on the counter and put some ginger ale in the fridge and saltines in the cupboard before sitting down.

Derek laughed. "You realize that I can take care of my kids, right?" he said amused.

"A little help never hurt anyone, Derek Morgan," she informed him.

He lifted one corner of his lips in a grin. "Like I have a problem accepting help from _you_."

"Right," she said in a grin.

"This is the first time they've _both_ been asleep in almost twenty four hours," he said.

"Yeah. Your stubble gave you away," she said, reaching up and touching his cheek with her knuckles.

He smiled at her. "I don't know how in the hell my eyelids are open," he admitted.

"Go take a shower," she said. "I'll keep an eye on the girls."

"Are you sure?" he asked.

She nodded.

"If Chessie wakes up, she's going to be ecstatic to see you." He grinned. "And according to her, you're gonna be mad at me."

"For what?" she asked in amusement.

Derek shrugged as he stood. "You'll have to ask_ her_," he said. "I'm not gonna get _myself_ into trouble."

With that, he disappeared up the back stairs.

___

When Derek walked into the living room, Millie was still fast asleep on the couch. He walked into the kitchen to find Chessie sitting at the table with Penelope, her little legs swinging. And the color was back in her cheeks. She was drinking from a Sippy cup. "How did you get her to drink?" he asked in amazement. "I've been trying to get liquids in her _all_ day, and no dice. You walk in, and she's sucking it down like she hasn't had a drink in months."

Chessie grinned up at him. "It's soda," she informed him.

He leaned down and kissed her on the forehead. "Ahhh," he said. "That explains it. You think you're pulling a fast one on your old man."

"_And_ I wanted Penelope," she reminded him.

Penelope smiled weakly at him. "Sometimes they just need a woman to take care of them."

"Sometimes, so does a man," Derek said in a teasing tone.

"Feeling sick, Derek?" she asked.

"You gonna take care of me if I am?" he shot back.

"No," she said primly.

He shrugged. "Then what's the point?" He sat down across from Penelope. "How was work?" he asked.

She laughed. "Surprisingly…uneventful."

"Did the team get called away?" he asked.

Penelope shook her head. "No."

Derek nodded as Chessie put her drink down and walked over to Penelope, climbing into her lap with a yawn. Penelope wrapped her arms around the little girl and kissed her softly on the forehead.

"Daddy said I would get better soon. Did he lie?" she asked solemnly.

Penelope bit back a laugh as Derek's jaw dropped.

"No, honey. He didn't lie."

"Daddy doesn't lie," Derek said firmly.

Chessie glared at him. "Neither does Penelly-P," she said cattily.

Penelope lifted her dancing eyes to Derek's. The glare she received was similar to the one his daughter had just given him.

___

Penelope sighed as the banging on her door continued. She made her way down the stairs and looked through the peephole, then opened the door. "You can't come in," she said.

"Yes we can," Derek said, pushing past her. When she hadn't shown up at work today, he realized that his girls had passed their flu onto her. It was Friday, and today had been their first day back at daycare. He was fine. Penelope hadn't been so lucky. He turned around. "Girls?" he said. They took his cue and followed him into the apartment, dropping their sleeping bags onto the floor.

"Why do you have sleeping bags?" Penelope asked.

"Because we're having a _slumber_ party!" Millie said excitedly. "We get to sleep on the living room floor. It's gonna be so much fun!"

Penelope shook her head firmly. "They'll get sick again," she told Derek.

He walked over and pushed the door closed. "No, they won't," he promised her. He turned to his daughters. "Girls, what are the rules?" Derek asked, taking a sip off the cardboard coffee cup he was holding.

"We can't be in the same room as Penelope," Millie said.

"And we can only _blow_ her kisses," Chessie chimed in.

Derek nodded. "That's right. Now, who wants to help out with this can of chicken noodle soup?" he asked, holding up a can of Campbell's.

"I do!" Millie said, following her father to the kitchen.

Chessie stayed behind. "I'm sorry you're sick, Penelly-P," she said sincerely.

Penelope grinned weakly. "It's not so bad," she lied.

"Did_ I_ make you sick?" she asked, eyes wide.

"No, baby, you didn't make me sick," she assured the little girl.

"Millie said that—"

Penelope grinned at Chessie. "Millie doesn't know _every_thing," she said in a teasing tone. "She just thinks she does."

Chessie nodded uncertainly. "Ok," she said, turning around and running after her father and sister.

___

"You guys are gonna get sick!" Penelope said the next day.

"Sick, schmick!" Emily said. "We're gonna be fine. We had flu shots."

"So did I," Penelope reminded them dryly.

JJ grinned. "So, Derek and the girls are staying with you," she said.

Penelope rolled her eyes. "Big deal," she said.

"Tell us again that you aren't gonna end up married to Derek Morgan," JJ teased.

"Shut up!" Penelope hissed. "He might hear you!"

Emily rolled her eyes. "Oh, _please_. I'm sure on some level, he already knows. He's camped out in your living room. A guy doesn't take care of a woman who looks as bad as you do right now unless he cares for you."

"Gee, thanks," Penelope said.

"I'm just saying…"

JJ nodded. "It's just a matter of time, Garcia. Just…a matter…of time."

_Oh, great_, Penelope thought. The _last _time JJ had offered up her opinion, it had come back to bite her on the ass!


	5. Chapter 5

It had been nearly three weeks since she'd been sick. And in true Derek Morgan style, the virus had passed right over him. Maybe there _was_ something to be said for working out and eating healthy. But she'd have to take his word for it. She'd take her ice cream and potato chips, thank you very much. She was on her way into the office when he caught up with her.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey," she returned.

"So…guess what I dreamed last night?" he asked with a grin.

"What did you dream last night?"

"That we were married," he said.

Penelope stumbled at his admission. He grabbed her by the arm to steady her.

"You OK?" he asked.

"Fine," she said shrilly. She cleared her throat. "That's a…weird dream."

"Well, it's not so weird if you think about it," he argued. "You take great care of my kids, you do my grocery shopping sometimes, and you clean my house. The only thing we're _not_ doing is sleeping together."

Sweet_ Lord_ she hoped he couldn't see her face. She was pretty sure that her jaw was dropped to the ground and her cheeks were the color of maraschino cherries. She laughed nervously.

"And hey, we could certainly work something out in that area if you wanted to," he said in a teasing tone.

Penelope quickened her pace.

"Hey, Garcia," he said. "I was kidding."

"Oh, I know you were," she said with false casualness.

"Then why did you speed up?" he asked.

She pretended to look for something ahead of her. "I thought I saw JJ," she said. "Guess not."

"So, you have the _entire_ week off from my monsters," he informed her.

"Really? Why is that?" she asked.

"My mom is flying in tonight. She's gonna be here until next Sunday, so if I get called away, everything is all set. I thought maybe you needed a break."

"Oh. Thanks," she said.

"No problem," he returned.

"And for the record, I happen to like your monsters," she admitted.

"Is that so?" he asked with a wicked grin.

She nodded.

"Then you should see my _one_ eyed monster," he said, his eyes dancing.

Penelope's jaw dropped and she socked him on the arm. "You need to get laid," she told him.

"You're telling me," he muttered.

___

The next day Derek practically flew into her office in a panic.

"What's goin' on?" she asked.

"I need you to go to my house tonight," he said quickly.

She nodded. "OK. What's with the anxiety?"

"I'm afraid that the girls don't know my mother well enough, and that they might be scared when it's time to go to bed or something."

"I can do that," Penelope said.

Derek breathed a sigh of relief.

"You really are my God-given solace, Garcia. You know that, don't you?"

She grinned. "So you keep saying."

"So, you'll stop by around seven o'clock tonight to help with baths and bedtime if my mom needs it?"

"You're mom raised _you_, Derek. I'm sure she'll be fine. But yes, I'll stop by around seven o'clock to help with bedtime stuff."

"Then I'll…see you in a few days," he said.

___

Penelope could hear the girls shrieking through the front door when she rang the bell. A few seconds later, the door flew open. "Penelope?" the woman said.

Penelope nodded. "Everything OK?" she asked carefully. She didn't want the girls causing trouble, but she certainly didn't want to step on Derek's mothers' toes, either.

"In a word…_no_," she said.

Penelope grinned sheepishly at her. "Would you like a hand?" she asked.

Derek's mother sighed. "I would _love_ one," she said.

When she stepped into the living room, Penelope's eyes widened. The room was turned upside down. The first thing she did was march over and turn off the television. Both girls dropped the doll they tug-of-warring over.

"We were watching that!" Chessie said snidely, her eyes going to her grandmother. When they found Penelope, they widened. "Hi, Penelly-p," she said quietly; her entire demeanor changed.

"Hi, yourself," Penelope returned sternly.

Millie was standing there, her little hands clasped in front of her. "Hi, Penelope," she said.

Penelope grinned at her. "What's going on?" she asked, her gaze moving from one little girl to the other.

"We were just playing," Chessie said.

"Yes, well, play time is over," Penelope informed them. "And you have fifteen minutes to clean this wreck up."

Millie ran to the kitchen and reappeared with the egg timer. She handed it to Penelope. "Thank-you," Penelope said, hitting the buttons to set it for fifteen minutes. When the little girls heard the ding indicating start time, they took off, gathering toys up in their arms.

Fran's eyes widened. "I have been trying to get them into the bathtub for an hour. _You _are amazing."

Penelope laughed. "I don't know about _that_," she said. She held out a hand. "Penelope Garcia," she said.

"Fran Morgan," she said, taking the young woman's hand and giving it a shake.

"Chessie, you're supposed to be cleaning," Penelope said when the little girl sank to her knees and started playing with her toys.

"Well I want to play," she said stubbornly.

"If you're not going to listen, then you don't get your half hour of television tonight," Penelope informed her.

"My _Grammie_ already said I could watch it," she shot back.

"And did you trick her into saying that?" Penelope asked.

Chessie didn't say anything, just nodded half-heartedly.

"When you trick someone into agreeing on something, Chessie, it doesn't count. Do you _want_ your TV tonight?"

Chessie nodded. "Yes," she said.

"Then you need to get cleaning."

The little girl jumped to her feet and helped her sister finish the job. Penelope stayed and gave Fran a hand until the girls had been bathed and were in bed fast asleep.

___

"Penelope would make a great mother," Fran said to her son. It was the next night, and he'd gotten home less than half an hour ago. They were sitting on the couch having conversation. Apparently it was about to get deep.

Derek groaned. "You know I'm never getting married again," he told her.

Fran lifted an eyebrow at him. "I wasn't insinuating that you _should_ marry her," she said with a grin. "I was just saying she should have kids of her own someday." There was a pause. "But I see it's been on _your_ mind."

Derek didn't say anything.

"Derek?"

"I'm not gonna date Penelope," he said firmly.

"But not because you don't want to," she said carefully.

He sighed. "If we dated…and it didn't work out…the girls would be devastated. They adore her."

"What if it did work out?" she asked.

Her son shook his head. "I'm not good at marriage, remember?" he asked.

"Maybe you just weren't good at being married to Heather," she said.

"Mom—"

"Derek, she left her children. And not only did she leave them behind, but she left _signed documents_ giving up her parental rights. Do you have any idea what that says about her?"

Derek's jaw began to tick. "I chose to marry her," he said quietly. "I chose her to be the mother of my children. What does that say about _me_?" he asked.

She smiled softly at her son. "Maybe it says that you fell in love for all of the wrong reasons," she told him.

"I don't…think I ever loved her at all. I think I only thought I did."

His mother nodded. "That's a possibility, too, Derek. But no matter which way you look at it, she left her children."

"I know," he said quietly.

"The best thing you can do for those girls, Derek, is to fall in love. And give them the mother that they deserve. A woman who you _do_ love. And who loves you back. _And_ your girls. Especially if you're gonna stay in this line of work. You need stability for them."

"I know," he said resentfully. It was something that had been on his mind a lot lately.

"I just…want you to think about it, Derek. I don't want your marriage to Heather be the only experience with marriage that you get to have. There are good women out there. You just need to find one." She refrained from telling him that he already had.


	6. Chapter 6

Derek picked up a stray teddy bear on the way to the computer. He'd just gotten the girls down and the place was finally back to something resembling normal. His mother had left earlier that day—Thank God. He loved her to pieces, and after a few days Millie and Chessie had adjusted to her being there, but at first, they'd been monsters. If it had been anyone other than his mother, he would have been mortified at their behavior. But as Penelope had pointed out, she'd raised _him_. Nothing was likely to surprise her. He tossed the teddy bear in the general vicinity of the toy box and then sat down at the monitor. He moved the mouse back and forth until the screen lit up then opened up his Facebook page. The first thing that caught his eye was Penelope's status:

_Some shit is just unbelievable_.

He laughed as he clicked the chat button. She was still on, so he opened a new window so he could message her:

_Hey, you._

_Hey._

_What's with the status?_

_Nothing._

_Penelope._

_LOL Don't Penelope me._

_What's goin' on?_

_I saw Max tonight._

_And?_

_He's engaged._

_Ouch. That was quick._

_Ya think?_

_Six pack and my place?_

_Six pack? I'm thinking a case._

_Whatever. But bring a go bag. You know you won't be driving home._

_LOL…OK. Reid is on, too. Should we invite him?_

_Hell, no. Do you want to be profiled?_

_It's gonna happen either way. Don't you profile me?_

_I'm pleading the fifth._

_I'm wise to your ways, Derek Morgan. Oh…and I am __**not**__ getting light beer._

_LOL That's OK. I'll spend an extra hour on the treadmill tomorrow to compensate._

_Good idea, chubs._

_Hey, hey, hey. You love this physique and you know it._

_I'm taking your cue and pleading the fifth on that one._

_Whatever…just get your ass over here._

He grinned as he hit the button to close the chat session and stood up with a stretch. So Max was already engaged. What a prick. It had been just over a month since they'd broken up. His poor Penelope must be heartbroken. He stumbled, grabbing one of the dining room chairs to steady himself. This time there was no teddy bear to blame it on—his thoughts had caught him off guard. _His_ Penelope? Where in the hell had _that_ come from. She was definitely not his. She'd probably kill him if she knew the thought had even invaded his brain.

___

"What's in the bag?" Derek asked as he took the case of beer from Penelope half an hour later. He'd met her at the door, avoiding knocks and doorbells at all costs. One never knew what would wake the girls.

"Ice cream and frosting," she said, following him into the kitchen.

He scrunched up his nose. "You put frosting on ice cream?" he asked in disgust?

"No," she said. "I eat it out of the tub with a spoon."

"Why in the _hell_ would you do that?" he asked.

"It's therapeutic," she explained. "Before reality sets in and you realize how many calories are in it, there are about thirty seconds of bliss."

"Is it worth it?" he asked, pulling two frosty mugs out of his freezer.

"Aren't you prepared," she said approvingly. "And yes, it's worth it. I have a choice, Derek. I could wallow _with_ frosting, or without. I choose the frosting," she said, popping the top off and unsealing it. She stuck a finger in the container, then closed her eyes and licked it off her finger with an appreciative moan. When she opened her eyes, Derek was standing back against the counter with a grin. "What?" she asked.

"You know what I think?" he asked.

"No," she said.

"I think you should sleep with me to get back at him."

Disbelieving laughter bubbled up her throat.

"Hear me out," he said in a teasing tone. "It's a lot less calories…we'd even burn some. And a hundred bucks says I could make you moan like that." He leaned forward, his face an inch from hers. "More than once."

Penelope rolled her eyes. "What are you doing next Friday night?" she asked.

He shrugged. "I don't plan that far ahead," he reminded her. "There's no point with the girls." He leaned back to his former position against the counter. "Why?" he asked curiously.

She opened two cans of beer, using a hand to pour each one into the mugs he'd supplied. "Because I'm going to watch the girls while you go out and try to get laid," she said dryly.

Derek threw his head back in laughter. "Thanks for the offer, but I don't think so."

"You don't want to get laid?"

"Oh, I always want to get laid," he informed her. "But I can't do the one night stand thing anymore."

She lifted an eyebrow at him. "Why not?"

"I have daughters now," he reminded her. "I have to show _some_ respect to women."

"I wasn't insinuating that you bring her back here," she told him, handing him a mug.

He followed her into the living room, grabbing the can of frosting off the counter and a spoon from the drawer on the way.

They sat down on the couch; he sat at one end, she sat at the other. They were sitting so they were facing.

"I have a question for you," Derek said.

"Shoot," she said, taking a swallow of beer.

"Did Max break up with you because of me?" he asked.

"Where…would you get an idea like that?" she asked evasively.

He tilted his head to the side. "So he did," Derek reasoned. Her elusiveness gave her away.

"Derek, it was so much more complicated than that," she told him. But the truth was—it wasn't. Max hadn't been able to handle her friendship with Derek or her closeness with the girls End of story. And end of their relationship.

"Yeah?" Derek asked doubtfully.

Penelope nodded fiercely. "Max breaking up with me had to do with jealousy issues more than anything." She laughed throatily. "Which is crazy. You and I have an amazing friendship—and it was foolish for him to think it would ever be anything more."

Derek didn't say anything—he just sat there pondering. So, OK. They _were_ good friends. And he probably would never date Penelope for the exact reason he gave his mother—if things fell apart, his girls would be devastated. But for some reason he couldn't understand, it really made him angry that she would sit here and tell him that it was _crazy_ to think of them ever being together.

___

"But you know what really burns my ass?" Morgan asked later that night. He might be buzzing a little bit, he thought. Because his head was spinning. Thank God tomorrow was Presidents day and he didn't have to work.

"What?" Penelope asked.

"That I never saw it coming," he said.

"Derek, how could you have seen that coming?"

He scoffed. "Look around this house," he said with a sweep of his arm.

"It's gorgeous," Penelope said in confusion.

He nodded. "Right. For a man. But look at the color. It's all browns and beiges. Besides the girls room, there's nothing to indicate a woman even lives here. She decorated this place, Penelope, like she knew she wasn't going to be spending her life here. Like she _knew_ she was going to be leaving."

"Derek—"

"And I understand that she thought I worked a lot—even though she knew that before she married me. But if she thought that I was gone so much, why would she have left the girls behind?"

"OK, newsflash, Morgan! It doesn't matter how much you worked, it wasn't an excuse for her to leave her children!" Penelope said angrily.

"You might be right," he said doubtfully.

"I _am_ right," Penelope told him.

Derek sighed. He'd had enough talk about Heather for one night. So he changed the subject. "Dude, we totally shouldn't be drinking with my kids in the house," he said.

Penelope giggled. "Dude, you just said totally."

His head was leaning against the back of the sofa and he turned to look at her. "I might be buzzing a little bit," he admitted.

"Yes, well, I am full-on drunk, I think," she said, her eyelids fluttering closed.

Derek stood up and patted her knee. "Up," he said.

She groaned. "Can't you just get me a pillow and a blanket?" she asked, stretching out on the couch.

"No," he said. "You're gonna sleep in my bed tonight."

"I am _so_ not sleeping with you," she said.

He laughed. "_I'll_ take the couch," he said. "The girls are gonna be up at the crack of dawn, and you're still gonna be drunk."

"But I can't make it up the stairs," she said in a whine.

He grabbed both her hands and gave a solid tug so she sprang to her feet. She swayed towards him and he wrapped his arms around her to steady her. Her face was so close and when he looked down, his eyes fell to her lips. They looked so inviting that Derek had to grab her upper arms and push her away to fight off the temptation.

_What_ in the _hell_ was going on?


	7. Chapter 7

It was Wednesday and Penelope was finally over her hangover. She wasn't able to stay up late and get up early anymore. In her early twenties, she could do that--stay out all night drinking and then get up the next day and go to work all bright eyed and bushy tailed. She'd slept until almost noon, and then she'd left Derek's and gone home and slept some more. But at least she hadn't gotten sick. That was the silver lining.

She pulled into the girls' daycare—the team had been called to Kentucky earlier that day—and turned off her vehicle. She walked into the building to get the girls and they came running up to her. "Is daddy gone for a few days?" Millie asked.

"He is," Penelope answered.

Chessie grabbed her jacket off the coat hook that was low enough for the kids to hang their own jackets and shoved her arms in. "Can we go to McDonalds?" she asked.

Penelope grinned. "Are you gonna tell your dad?" she asked.

Chessie shook her head. "Nope."

"Then I guess so," she said.

Chessie nodded. "_I _want a chicken nugget Happy Meal," she said.

Penelope grabbed Millie's coat and helped her put it on. "Then a chicken nugget Happy Meal you shall have!" she said in an exaggerated tone.

They walked out to her vehicle and Penelope was buckling Millie in when the little girl sighed heavily. "You OK, sweetie?" she asked.

"No," Millie told her.

"What's wrong?" Penelope asked, pushing the little girls' hair away from her face.

"I tell daddy when you take us to McDonalds," she said quietly.

"You do?" Penelope said.

Millie nodded solemnly. "Yes. Daddy said we shouldn't keep secrets from him. So I told him. And I kept _that_ a secret from _you_," she said. "And I can't do it anymore. That's a lot of secrets for a little girl to keep!" she said dramatically.

Penelope laughed. "That _is_ a lot of secrets for such a little girl to keep."

The little girl began to chew on her lower lip. "You're not mad at me?" she asked.

"No," Penelope said with a smile. "I'm not mad at you. I shouldn't have asked you to lie to him in the first place. I'm sorry."

Millie nodded. "It's OK," she said. "Just don't ask me to do it again."

Penelope struggled to keep a straight face. "I promise," she said, leaning in and giving Millie a kiss on the forehead.

"Can we still go to McDonalds even though Millie can't keep a secret?" Chessie piped up.

Penelope laughed. "Yes, we can still go to McDonalds. But Millie's right. You shouldn't be keeping secrets from your dad, and I shouldn't be asking you to."

Chessie shrugged. "It was kind of fun," she said as Penelope closed the back door.

___

After stopping at her house to pick up her things, they headed to the Morgan's', and then Penelope and the girls ate in the living room while they watched a movie. She liked to think she would be more structured with her own kids, but she knew better. It was hard not to give in when you had two pairs of chocolate colored eyes staring at you, all the hope in the world in them. She probably gave in more than she should, but that was OK. Derek was the one who had to deal with it. The girls were good as gold for her. They usually chose to rebel when he was around. It was funny to watch, really. He tried so hard to deal with it, but he was a man with no woman around for guidance and his approach was comical most of the time. But she had to give the guy an A for effort. He was the most adoring father she knew.

At six o'clock, Penelope put the girls in the bathtub and then after reading to them for a little while, she kissed them goodnight and went downstairs. She plopped down onto the couch and was flipping through the channels when the Oxygen Network caught her eye. "Ooooh, America's Next Top Model!" she said excitedly. She snuggled down with a fleece blanket that had been thrown haphazardly on the couch—Millie's she thought—and began to watch the show. After the first episode, she went into the kitchen to get a drink. There was an unopened can of buttercream frosting on the counter with a piece of paper resting up against it. She picked up the note to read it:

_In case you run into any dicks while I'm gone._

She grinned as she picked up the can of frosting and popped the top off—then stuck her finger in and took a taste. But she didn't moan this time. It just wasn't worth it if she didn't have an audience.

___

Derek was bone tired when he walked through his front door three days later. All he wanted to do was fall into bed and sleep for a few days. But he looked at the clock on the DVR and winced. Two a.m. He'd have to settle for four hours—if he was lucky. The girls would be up at the crack of dawn. He dropped his bag—he'd take care of _that_ tomorrow—and headed for the stairs. Penelope wasn't on the couch, which meant she was in the spare bedroom. He yawned as he walked into his bedroom and stopped in his tracks. Penelope was fast asleep in his bed…on the side he preferred. He walked over to the bed and gave her a shake. "Garcia," he said.

She stretched and opened her eyes. "Hey," she said softly.

He grinned at her. "You're in my bed."

"Well, the couch just wasn't comfortable, and then the spare bed is just too small. This one was just right," she said with a yawn.

"Is that so, Goldilocks?" he asked with a tired grin. He grabbed one of her blonde curls and let his fingers slide down the lock before it fell to the pillow.

She nodded, her eyelids already fluttering closed again.

"Move over," he whispered, undoing his belt buckle.

"Go get in the spare bed," she said, her eyes not opening.

"Darlin', while I appreciate everything you do for me, I won't give you my bed after I've been away for three days. I'll _share_ it with you, but that's as good as it gets. Now get off my side of the bed," he teased.

She groaned, but did as he asked.

Derek crawled into bed and covered up, pulling the blankets up to his chin. He could smell coconut on his pillow; her perfume was on his sheets. He inhaled deeply, enjoying her scent.

"Stay on your side of the bed," she mumbled. A minute later, her breathing was even. Two minutes behind, Derek was snoring.

___

If he'd only been spooning her, she would have been able to excuse it, but that wasn't the case.

When Penelope woke up the next morning, her head was tucked under his chin. His hand was underneath her tank top, resting on her bare waist. And one of his legs was between hers. His upper thigh was resting against her girliest part. Penelope had all she could do not to groan.

And the most mortifying part was that after she'd warned him to stay on his side of the bed, every inch of her was on his. As for extricating herself without waking him up—_that_ was going to be tricky.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Thanks for all of your reviews for this story! I really enjoy reading them. I'm trying to find a balance with the girls where they're not too bratty, but not perfect, either so that it's more realistic! Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

_If I could just wiggle my body towards the foot of the bed…_Penelope held back a sigh. She'd been over it a thousand times in her mind, and there was no way to get out of this without waking Derek. The only thing she could do was hope that because he was so exhausted, he would sleep through her disentanglement.

She reached for the hand that was resting on her waist and gently lifted it up. He growled in his sleep as his hand came back down to her waist. His touch was rough this time, almost possessive.

Penelope closed her eyes and stilled her body, waiting a few seconds before resuming her breathing. _Un-frickin-believable. _She revised her plan and started with her bottom leg this time, pulling it back so the leg that had been resting between hers fell to the mattress. _OK_, she thought. _One body part down_. She felt victorious. She could do this. Thank God he'd worn his t-shirt and a pair of sweats to bed last night, or this would have been even _more_ awkward.

She quickly lifted Derek's hand from her waist and rolled away from him as fast as she could. She squeaked when she almost fell off the side of the bed. Her hand flew out to clutch the sheet and her body teetered on the edge of the mattress for a moment before she got her balance again. Sighing in relief, she sat up on the edge of the bed, and then stood. She turned around with a triumphant grin—that froze on her face.

Derek was laying there, a smile spread across his face. "Now _that_ was interesting," he said playfully.

Her gaze narrowed. "Were you awake the entire time?" she asked accusingly.

He cleared his throat. "I…" His grin widened and he decided to change the subject. "How about a morning romp?"

"Funny, Derek," she said.

"Oh, but I wasn't trying to be funny," he said in a teasing tone.

Penelope—suddenly aware that she was wearing no bra and had a thin tank top on—grabbed the nearest pillow and threw it at his face.

"_You_ don't play nice," he complained.

Instead of saying anything, she leaned over the bed and grabbed the pillow, hitting him in the face again. When she picked it up again and swung a third time, he reached up and seized her wrist, pulling her down onto the bed. He rolled up onto his knees and had her pinned beneath him in no time. He was up on all fours, a knee on each side of her waist, his hands holding her wrists above her head. He lifted an eyebrow at her. "What do you think of _that_?" he asked.

Penelope wasn't sure what to say, so she said nothing. But she could feel her breathing increase. How in the _hell _was she going to get out of this one?

"Daddy!" came a little girls yell. "_What_ are you doing on top of Penelly-p?"

He flew off her so fast she nearly fell off the bed again. "Playing," he said quickly. "We were…just…playing," he said—clearly mortified at the thought of being caught by his little girl.

Penelope scrambled to get to the other side of the mattress. _Thank __**God**__ for the interruption_. She had to force herself not to shake her head to clear it. If Derek felt guilty, that meant he thought they were doing something…naughty.

"Well _I_ wanna play!" Chessie said, running at top speed towards the bed. She ran towards Penelope and she caught her, pulling her up onto the bed. Chessie stayed on Penelope's lap, but turned to look at her father. "When did you get home, Daddy?" she asked.

"Last night after you were in bed," he told her.

"Did you come in to kiss me?" she asked.

He reached out and pulled her from Penelope's lap into his own, then leaned down and nuzzled her neck. "Of course I did," he told her.

"Daddy!" Millie said excitedly from the doorway. She ran for the bed just like her sister had, but _she_ ran for her father. Derek passed Chessie to Penelope and when Millie reached the bed, she jumped up over the side and onto his stomach.

"Oooomph."

"Sorry, Daddy," Millie said unconvincingly. Her excitement at seeing him won out over sincerity. She threw her little arms around his neck and gave him a tight squeeze, and then sighed in delight. "I'm so glad you're home, Daddy," she said.

"Me, too," he agreed.

She pulled away and rubbed her cheek, studying his face. "You need to shave," she informed him.

Derek laughed. "You're right about that," he said.

"Do we have to go to school today?" Millie asked.

Derek shook his head. "It's the weekend," he said.

Chessie gasped. "Then probably Hannah Montana is on!" she exclaimed. "Can we see?"

Derek opened his nightstand drawer and pulled out the remote, turning the widescreen television resting on his dresser on.

"It's three-six," Chessie told him, annoyed that it was taking him so long to find the right channel.

"Hey, a little patience," Derek warned his dramatic daughter. He hit the right buttons, and then laid back on the mattress, Millie cuddled up beside him. He had one arm wrapped around her, the other he had up over his head; his legs were crossed at the ankles.

Chessie looked up at Penelope. "I'd be a lot more comfortable if you would lay down," she informed Penelope.

Penelope could hear Derek trying to stifle a laugh.

She fluffed the pillows behind her and lay back so she was still partially sitting. Chessie lay down on her chest. The only way _Penelope _would be comfortable was if she got out of this situation. She'd _never_ have slept in the same bed as Derek if she hadn't been so exhausted. She barely remembered him coming in last night. But she couldn't blame _everything_ on her exhaustion. She'd seen his arms before—but she'd never _noticed_ them. Oh, but she was _noticing_ them now. She cleared her throat and tried to focus on Hannah Montana.

Derek lifted his head up off a pile of pillows. "Hey, Ches," he said.

Chessie looked over at her father.

"Do daddy a favor and make sure Penelope stays on her side of the bed."

Penelope's jaw dropped and she gave Derek a dirty look.

Chessie shook her head enthusiastically. "Or you might get on top of her again?" she asked innocently.

Derek grinned at his daughter. "You never know."

"Daddy, why were you on Penelope?" Millie asked curiously.

Penelope rolled her eyes. He'd really gone and done it this time.

___

"Let's go out for breakfast this morning," Derek said after three grueling episodes of Hannah Montana. After seeing a commercial that this was a Hannah Montana marathon, he was so desperate to get away from the television that he almost suggested Disney World.

Chessie crawled out of Penelope's lap and was on her knees beside her father. "Can Penelly-p come with us?" she asked.

Derek grinned at her. "Yes. If Penelly-p wants to, she can come with us," he told his daughter.

Two sets of hopeful chocolate brown eyes flew to Penelope's face. She forced herself to grin. "Can't wait!" she said. Clearly escape was never going to come.

___

Penelope was buckling Chessie in her seat while Derek was buckling Millie in on the other side when Chessie piped up.

"You know, if you're gonna be in the same bed, I _think_ you have to get married," Chessie informed them.

Penelope lifted her head so quickly she hit it on the doorframe.

Her eyes met Derek's and he grinned at her uneasiness.

What was everyone's sudden preoccupation with marriage? For crying out loud, even _Derek_ was dreaming about it. It was almost as if she was _supposed_ to marry him. Was that even a possibility?

If the world were a Magic-8 ball, all signs were pointing to yes.


	9. Chapter 9

"Daddy, you're not _doing_ it right," Chessie said angrily.

"I'm doing the best I can, Chess," her father told her.

She sighed heavily. "Do you see how Penelope is doing it?" she asked.

They'd gotten home from breakfast a little over an hour ago, and the girls had wanted Penelope to paint their nails before she left. She was painting Millie's, and always one to get everyone involved, Chessie had recruited her father to paint her own nails.

"How?" he returned, trying to take it seriously.

"Not clumsy, like you are. You're not supposed to paint my skin, Daddy. Just my fingernails."

"OK," he said. "Let's try this again."

One stroke of the brush, and Derek grinned triumphantly as the hot pink liquid covered her tiny fingernail.

Chessie shrieked. "Daddy!" she said angrily.

"What?" he asked in disbelief.

"You painted my skin again!" she informed him, shoving her hand in his face.

"Chessie, you can hardly see it," he told her. In fact, _he_ couldn't see it at _all._

She sighed. "You just can't do it right, Daddy," she said. She pulled her hand back and shoved her bare feet into his lap. "You can paint my toes," she said. "No one's going to see them anyway."

"Penelope, I think _you're _doing a great job," Millie said from the other corner of the kitchen table.

Penelope bit back a grin. "Thank-you, Millie," she said.

"I can't wait until it's _my_ turn with Penelope," Chessie said. "She does everything just perfect." That statement was followed with a satisfied sigh. Clearly she was in awe of the woman she spent so much time with.

"Hey, who changed your diapers for you before you were potty trained?" Derek asked, feigning jealousy.

"Daddy, I don't remember that far back," she said dramatically.

"_You_ did, Daddy," Millie said primly.

Derek nodded. "That's right, baby girl. And you should _never _forget that."

"Penelope, can you spend the night again?" Chessie asked.

"No, honey. I have things to do today."

"We could do them together," Millie suggested.

Chessie grinned. "We'll let you sleep with Daddy again," she bribed in a sing-song voice.

Penelope could feel her cheeks getting red.

"I think that is a _splendid_ idea," Derek chimed in. He was grinning from ear to ear.

"But you have to stay on your own side of the bed," Millie reminded her.

"Oh, yes. _That_ is a must," Derek agreed. "Proper bedroom etiquette is _very_ important," he explained to his daughters, his voice low as if this were the most important information he'd ever imparted.

_He_ was enjoying every minute of this.

_She_ was going to kill him.

"Thanks for the offer," she said. "But I can't. Remember how excited you were when you found out your dad was home? Now you get to spend the entire day with him!" she said, her voice over-enthusiastic.

"But it would be more fun if we got to spend the entire day with _both_ of you," Millie said.

"Things would be a hell of a lot easier if you were just married," Chessie announced.

Penelope's eyes widened at the little girls comment.

"Francesca Morgan!" Derek said chastising his daughter. "_Where_ did you hear those words?"

Chessie rolled her eyes. "From you, Daddy," she reminded him. "The other night when I left the water running in the tub and it all fell out over the side. You said I had a hell of a lot of explaining to do. Remember?"

Derek cleared his throat. "Yes, well. I may have been a little...upset in the moment," he explained. "Those probably weren't the best choice of words. I'm gonna try really hard not to say them again, and I think you should, too," he told her.

She nodded. "OK, daddy." She wiggled her toenails as she studied them. "Those don't look very bad," she said.

Derek figured it was the closest thing to a compliment he was going to get from his daughter, so he decided to run with it. "Thank-you," he said sincerely.

"You're welcome, Daddy."

___

"Uncle Reid, please will you read us just one more story?" Millie asked sweetly.

He grinned down at her. Reid knew it was awful, but he couldn't help it. He had a favorite, and it was Millie. He supposed it was because she was more like him than Chessie was. Chessie was outspoken and bubbly, whereas Millie, even at three years old, took the time to think about what she wanted to say. She was definitely the more reserved of the two. He leaned down to rest his forehead on hers. "_One _more," he said. "And then you two have to get some sleep. It's almost nine o'clock, and your dad told me that you normally go to bed at seven. I don't want to break your routine."

"What's routine?" Millie asked curiously.

Reid studied her face for a moment, grappling for something to say. The last time he'd answered a question like this, he'd had to explain what it meant to navigate. _That _conversation had lasted for forty five minutes. He decided upon redirection. "Once upon a time..."

___

After Reid had finished the last story, the girls had asked for their dad to go up and say good-night to them. He was pacing in the living room while waiting for Derek.

"Hey, Kid," Derek said as he came down over the stairs. "I think my Millie has a serious crush on you."

Reid laughed. "She's quite the charmer," he said.

"Apparently, so are you."

"It's just proximity," Reid argued. Then, "So, what am I here for?" he asked.

"I got the girls a new dollhouse," Derek told him. "I thought you could help me put it together."

Reid looked at him doubtfully. "You thought _I_ could help you put it together?"

"Well I thought you could at least keep me company. I want it to be all set up at the bottom of the stairs tomorrow when they wake up," he said excitedly.

Reid grinned. "I never thought I'd see the day when Derek Morgan was so thrilled about a dollhouse," he joked.

Derek gave him a dirty look. "You want a beer?" he asked as he headed for the kitchen.

"One beer will seriously impair my ability to put this dollhouse together," Reid said.

Derek lifted an eyebrow in disbelief. "You have the ability to put this dollhouse together?"

"Funny," Reid said. "You know, I could have been an engineer."

Derek laughed. "No you _couldn't_ have."

___

"Hey, what's the deal with Prentiss and JJ?" Derek asked a little while later as Reid watched him carry the dollhouse in from the garage.

"What do you mean?" Reid asked.

Derek put the box in the middle of the living room floor. "They've been acting weird around me lately. Strange looks, silly grins. Like they know something I don't."

"Oh, that," Reid said dismissively. "It's because you and Penelope are dating."

Derek choked on his swallow of beer. "Is that what she said?" he asked as Reid opened the box.

"Oh, no," Reid answered. "She emphatically denies it."

"Emphatically?" Derek asked. He didn't like the sound of _that._

"You two are the only ones who don't know you're a couple," Reid informed him. "Oh, look! I found the directions!" He held them up victoriously.

"What in the _hell_ are we gonna need those for?" Derek asked as he grabbed them and tossed them over his shoulder. Five hours later, he knew.


	10. Chapter 10

"Do things like this even happen?" Derek asked the next Tuesday morning as he refilled his coffee cup in the kitchen at the BAU.

Penelope laughed. "Of _course_ they do. And I bet they even happened all the time before you were married."

Derek raised his eyebrows. "Geez. Has it been that long since I've been hit on?" he asked.

"I doubt it," Penelope told him. "You were probably just too preoccupied to notice. Now that the girls are getting older and they can do things for themselves, it leaves Daddy Morgan a little more time to notice things." She nudged him with her shoulder. "Like the daycare lady asking him out on a date," she teased.

"Stop," Derek said. "I can't _believe_ I forgot what it was like to be hit on."

She nodded. "Feels good, doesn't it?"

Derek's grin widened. "It really does. Makes me feel _hot_ again."

She laughed. "You _are_ hot," she reminded him.

He did a little dance. "You want a piece of Derek Morgan?" he joked.

Penelope grinned as she watched his hips sway back and forth. "I think I'm all set, but apparently there are women waiting in line for you."

"Want a reservation?" he teased, eyes dancing.

She rolled her eyes in answer. "So, are you going to go?" she pressed.

He frowned. "Would it be too weird?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. That's for you to decide," she said. "And hey—you were saying you wanted to get laid again. This could be your chance."

"I can't…bang one of the girls' providers!" he said in disbelief.

"Oh, my God! You _have_ been out of circulation for a long time. "Bangin'" is so late 90's early 2000's."

He sighed. "Dating is tough."

Penelope smiled. "Yeah. Wait 'til you actually start _doing_ it."

"Sex?" he asked in a panic.

"No! Dating," she clarified.

"Oh, right," he said with a nod. "I knew what you meant."

Sweet Lord. Derek Morgan was nervous about sex? _Now __**that**__ was a sight to behold_, Penelope thought with a grin.

___

Derek was sitting across from his date that Saturday night nodding, trying to feign interest in whatever she was saying. Something about the Twilight movies, maybe? He didn't know. She'd been talking non-stop for the last forty-five minutes. Whatever it was she was still going on about, he wasn't really interested.

He wished he hadn't been the one who was driving. That way he could have the rest of the wine sitting in the chiller. Instead, he would have to settle for just finishing the one and only glass he'd get to have tonight.

___

This had been a bad idea; she'd known it was a bad idea from the beginning. But she'd been trying to make a statement. The Max thing was over and done with, and of course she knew that, but she was finally ready to move on. So she'd forced Prentiss, JJ, and Will to come with her tonight.

JJ's mother was visiting, and she'd volunteered to watch Henry for them. They were on the dance floor—and it was sweet, really. Will handled his wife as if she could break if he made the wrong move. Little did he know that JJ wasn't as fragile as he thought she was. She was pretty tough when she needed to be.

As usual, Prentiss had been whisked away almost immediately. She had that influence over men. She walked in, and they just seemed to flock.

It hadn't been long after that when Penelope had been invited to dance, and she'd taken the man up on his offer. He was handsome, and he was friendly. Maybe just a tad _too_ friendly. _That_ was confirmed when he whispered in her ear. "Want to get out of here?"

"I…" She stood there for a minute, weighing her options. "I…can't," she finally said. It wasn't that she wasn't in the mood—that was for sure. She could certainly use a night of good lovin'.

The _problem_ was…his skin wasn't dark enough, his shoulders weren't broad enough, and dammitt…his eyes weren't even brown.

She quickly walked away and headed for Prentiss. She gave her friends arm a tug. "Hey. I'm outta here," she said.

"I'll be right back," Prentiss told her dance partner. "Hey," she said, catching up to Penelope near the exit. "This was _your_ idea," she reminded her friend.

Penelope nodded. "Yeah. Not one of my finer ones. Sorry."

Prentiss shook her head in confusion. "What's going on?"

Penelope shrugged. "I felt like I needed to…go out and…" She smiled weakly. "Get my groove thing on to prove that I'd moved on." She shook her head. "I didn't. I have moved on and it was…silly of me to think that I had to something to prove."

Prentiss grinned. "That _was_ silly of you."

Penelope nodded. "Now, go do your thing," she told her friend. "And if you bring him home…" She lifted an eyebrow and grinned. "Get off once for me."

Prentiss wrinkled her nose. "I cannot _believe_ you just said that."

Penelope grinned in return. "Too late to take it back." She leaned sideways so she could she the man Prentiss had been dancing with. The man was certainly a treat to look at. He had a fantastic ass. "Enjoy your night," she said.

___

"I had a great time tonight," Amanda whispered, leaning closer to Derek.

_Of course she had,_ he thought. Because she hadn't shut up for more than ten seconds. And miraculously, she hadn't even gotten winded _once_. Derek leaned back at the waist as she moved forward—until _finally_ she straightened, giving him a curious look.

"So did I," he said unconvincingly, as he reached forward and gave her shoulder an awkward pat. He supposed her should kissed her…it would be the polite thing to do. But he couldn't bring himself to do it.

Her hair just wasn't blonde enough, her grin just wasn't wide enough…and her eyes didn't smile. And dammitt...he'd never seen _her_ make his girls so happy that their smiles could light up a room.

___

OK, Penelope finally admitted to herself now that she was safely ensconced in her favorite fleece blanket on her comfy couch. So maybe she _hadn't_ gone out just to prove she was over Max. Maybe—just _maybe_—there was a teeny tiny part of her that had been a teeny tiny bit jealous that Derek was going out on a date. So she'd gone out on the prowl.

She sighed as she looked at the clock. Nine p.m. Derek was probably _just_ walking his date (Penelope scowled at the thought) to her front door. His lips were probably coming down onto hers right now, and—

Her thoughts were interrupted by her doorbell. She groaned as she stood up. "Mrs. Wilkerson," she yelled. "I _still_ haven't seen your cat." She pulled her door back. "And no, I don't have any…" Her voice trailed off when she saw Derek standing there. "Sugar," she finished softly. She leaned her head against the doorframe. "What are you doing here?" she whispered.

He didn't say anything, just stood there looking at her. His eyes had an intensity in them she'd never seen before and she couldn't tear her own away.

She straightened slowly, then leaned forward and grabbed the front of his jacked, pulling him towards her. His lips came down onto hers and he lifted his hands, grabbing her face to hold her still. His kiss was rough and hard—his tongue plunging forward into her mouth. She moaned in pleasure at his taste—a hint of wine and then…Derek. He tasted exactly the way she'd imagined he would. And she didn't even realize she'd _imagined_ it until this exact moment. His breathing was ragged when he pulled away. He leaned forward until his forehead was resting on hers. He stood there until his breathing evened out.

Then he finally answered her question. "I'm here for some…" She watched his lips twitch as he fought back a grin. "Sugar."


	11. Chapter 11

Derek pulled away from their second kiss and gave Penelope's shoulders a gentle push. "I have to go," he said. "Reid's with the girls and I told him I wouldn't be late."

Penelope laughed sarcastically. "Ooooh…no, no, no," she said. "You don't walk up to my door, get me all hot and bothered, and then go traipsing off."

"I got you all hot and bothered?" he asked with a smirk.

"You know damn well you did," she scolded him. "And you're not leaving until you've finished the job."

"Oh, Darlin'. You better believe I'm gonna finish the job," he assured her. "When I can do it right. I'm not gonna even start the job…until I know that we can spend the entire night together."

She rolled her eyes. "Entire nights of sex are waaaaay overrated," she said.

"Then you've been spending them with the wrong person," he informed her.

She groaned. "Don't say things like that and then expect me to let you leave," she said.

He wrapped his arms around her waist a dropped a kiss on her nose. "I'm not gonna do anything until I know I'm gonna be able to wake up with you," he said softly.

She reached for his jacket and played with the zipper on each side. "But we've already woken up together," she reminded him coyly.

He smirked again as he squeezed her tightly. "Yes. And do you remember how much fun it was?" He lifted an eyebrow as he looked down at her.

"For _you_…maybe. But for me…" She scoffed. "It was…"

"Challenging?" he asked with a laugh.

She laughed, too. "To say the least."

He leaned down again and gave her a quick kiss--on the lips this time. "I have to go," he said again.

She sighed. "Just so you know I am _vehemently _opposed to this."

"Well, there _is_ one solution," he offered.

"And what's that?" she asked.

He grinned. "You cold give me fifteen minutes to get rid of Reid, and we could wake up together in _my_ bed."

She nodded. "Done."

"Fifteen minutes," he said. "If you're not walking through my door fifteen minutes after I get home, I'm gonna wake up the girls, and we're gonna _traipse_ all over town looking for you."

She threw her head back in laughter, and he couldn't resist, he placed a tender kiss on her neck.

She wrapped her arms around his neck as she lifted her head. "Like I'm gonna miss _this_," she said.

___

Twenty minutes later, Derek walked through his front door to Reid sitting on the couch; his bare feet up on the coffee table while he stared at the television screen.

"Hey," Reid said. "You're home early."

Derek nodded. "Because I don't feel very good. You should probably leave."

Reid gave him an odd look, and then realization dawned. "_She's_ coming over!" he said, jumping to his feet.

"What?" Derek asked, avoiding eye contact.

Reid shook his head. "I'm not surprised. Derek Morgan scores again."

Derek rolled his eyes. "Do you have any idea how long it's _been_ since Derek Morgan has scored?" he joked.

"I would have thought you and Penelope had some sort of…friends with benefits thing goin' on.

Derek scoffed. "She's too good for that," he said.

"For what?" Reid asked. "For you?"

"That's not what I meant," Derek said. "And look—you need to go! Thanks for watching the girls." He grabbed Reid's jacked and picked up his shoes, then thrust them at him. He frowned as he looked down at Reid's feet. "Nice toes," he commented.

Reid's face turned red. "Millie talked me into it," he said, defending himself. "I'll get some nail polish remover on my way home." He pulled his jacket up over his shoulders.

Derek held up his hands. "Hey, you don't have to explain yourself to me," he said. "I was wearing fake make up the other day."

Reid laughed. "See you later," he said on his way out the door.

___

Derek ran up over the stairs taking them two at a time. He checked on the girls—thank _God_ they were fast asleep—and then flew into his own room. He raced to his bed and gave the sheet a tug towards the head of the bed, straightening it the best he could. He fixed the rest of the blankets, then fluffed the pillows and tossed them back onto the bed. He kicked the stray clothes on his floor underneath his bed, checked his nightstand for condoms—they were a few years old (hopefully still effective)—then spun around when he heard the noise in his doorway.

Penelope grinned at him. "Not so on your game when you're about to get lucky, huh?" she teased.

He laughed. She was right—any other time he would have heard a damn mouse creeping around the kitchen.

She cleared her throat. "So…how are we gonna do this?" she asked quietly.

He leaned a hip against the dresser, crossing his arms over his chest. "How do you _want_ to do this?" he returned.

She stepped into the room and closed the door behind her, reaching for the lock. Her hand froze and she frowned. "There's not a lock on your door," she said.

He grinned. "Very astute, Garcia," he teased, straightening.

"Why isn't there a lock on the door?" she asked.

"Because one of my precocious kids locked herself in my room one day and she screeched the entire time I was trying to get the doorknob off. And really, Penelope…there hasn't been any _need_ for a lock on my door."

She laughed. "Chessie?" she guessed.

"Of course," Derek answered.

Penelope didn't know what else to say, so she looked around the room uncertainly.

Derek walked towards her. "Don't look at the walls," he said quietly, putting a finger under her chin. He lifted her face so she had to look at him. "Look at me."

She swallowed past the lump of nervousness in her throat.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked tenderly.

She laughed. "Oh, I'm sure," she said, lifting her mouth to his. Her tongue plunged forth, finding his with sudden desperation. She pressed her body against his, her nipples hardening instantly. She could feel his arousal even through his pants. She wrapped her arms around his neck; he wrapped his around her waist, pulling her against him. He reached for the hem of her shirt and pulled it out of her jeans; she brought her hands down to his chest and after undoing the first few buttons, moved her hands frantically underneath his shirt. His skin was hot beneath her touch, and she ran her hands down his chest, then around to his back and up over his taut muscles.

He reached up and undid her bra, and she pulled back, lifting her shirt over her head and tossing it to the side. He reached for the straps of her bra and pulled them down over her arms, letting it fall to the floor. She reached for his shirt to finish unbuttoning it, but he moved her hands away and instead, gave it a tug. The last few buttons flew off his shirt and he shrugged out of it.

They moved at the same time, reaching for the others pants. They hurriedly undid snaps and zippers, then Penelope pushed her pants and down while Derek did the same. She leaned forward against his body—solid and hot—and he moved backwards, falling onto the bed with his arms around her. She threw her arms out to brace the fall, and when her body shifted, her breasts were level with his face. He lifted his head to one of her peaks, his hot tongue sliding over her skin. His pace was hurried and frantic as he moved to her other breast. She groaned as his tongue worked its magic, then whimpered when he pulled back. "If you don't quiet down, I'm gonna have to stop," he taunted.

She bent at the elbows, her breasts moving closer to his mouth, and with a chuckle, he went to work again. She lifted a hand and reached between them, circling his length with her hand.

"Sweet Lord," he hissed. "Your touch…" He reached down and seized her wrist, pulling her hand away from him. With one swift move, he had their positions reversed and he was on top of her. She bent her knees, opening her legs for him.

"Sorry, Darlin'," he said, as he pushed two fingers inside of her. She was hot, and she was wet…and he wasn't going to be able to help himself. "But I can't wait." He plunged inside of her and she threw her head back with a moan.

"Sweet Lord," she whispered, her hips shooting off the bed. Derek groaned as he filled her, and he pulled back, moving in and out of her slowly and steadily. He had no idea where his control was coming from, but he sent up a silent prayer of thanks. He wanted this to be good—for him and for _her_.

She reached up and grabbed the pillow on both sides of her head. "Derek," she whimpered.

When he thrust forward again, she cried out and he lifted a hand, covering her mouth. "Ssshhh." But he couldn't help it—he grinned. There was something about a woman who was willing to let go and show a man how much she was enjoying him. "The girls," he reminded her.

She nodded, as her eyelids fluttered closed. He watched as she bit down on her lower lip. "Don't stop it," he instructed her.

Her breathing increased as her body stiffened, and Derek felt her tighten around him. He pulled back, and then drove forward one final time as she cried out his name, her hands coming up around his neck as she clung to him. He fell on top of her, then rolled away so he was on his back, throwing an arm over his head. "Hot damn," he said, his breathing hasty.

"Was it as good as you remember?" she teased.

He laughed. "Are you kidding me?" he asked. "It was so much better than I remember."

She rolled up onto her belly and put her chin on his chest. She grinned at him. "What was the best part?" she asked.

"Honestly?" he returned.

She nodded, smiling softly.

"That it was you," he said, lifting a hand to her cheek. She leaned into his touch and then moved forward to kiss him. "And I have a confession," he said when she pulled away.

"What's that?" she asked, resting her cheek on his chest.

He laughed. "I have _never_ been so frantic that I've done it with my pants around my ankles," he admitted.

She lifted her head and sure enough, his pants were still around his ankles. She couldn't help but laugh at the sight.

"And I forgot how exciting it could be when you have to worry about getting caught," he said.

Penelope returned her gaze to his. "It _was_ pretty hot," she agreed.

___

Derek was right—she'd been spending her 'entire nights' with the wrong person. And she'd had no idea what she'd been missing. But he hadn't hesitated to show her—over and over again. He groaned as she pulled away from him, grabbing her by the shoulders.

"I have to go," she whispered, backing out of the front door.

"No, you don't," he argued.

But she laughed. "The girls are gonna be up in like…two hours, and you haven't had a wink of sleep."

He grinned. "I'm going on adrenaline," he informed her.

"Yes, well…I'm afraid that's not gonna be enough when you crash this afternoon," she teased.

He sighed. "Just so you know I wouldn't be opposed to a repeat performance. _Tonight,_" he said pointedly.

She laughed. "If you're still awake after the girls go to bed, call me," she told him, starting down the steps.

He grabbed her arm and she gave him a questioning look. "Be waiting by the phone," he said huskily.

Then he watched as she made her way to her vehicle, giving her a small wave as she drove away.

"Daddy?"

Derek yelped as he spun around and slammed the door.

"Who was that?" Millie asked sleepily.

Geez, she'd jumped the life out of him. He'd nearly come out of his skin. "Umm…someone selling magazines," he lied.

She walked over to him and he picked her up. "You OK?" he asked.

"Daddy, can I sleep with you?" she asked sleepily.

Derek's mind went into a panic. _Could_ she sleep with him? He wasn't sure. Was he even allowed to have her on the sheets after what he'd just done with Penelope? He sighed. See, these were the things he wasn't sure about.

"Ahhh…sure," he managed to get out. "Just let me change the sheets."

"Why do you have to change the sheets?" she asked innocently.

Derek cleared his throat. "I had the heat turned up too high and I was sweating," he improvised.

She slung an arm around his neck and put her head on his shoulder. "Thank you for changing the sheets, Daddy. I hate stinky blankets," she told him with a yawn.

Derek kissed her on the top of the head. "I know you do, baby girl," he said as he made his way up the stairs.


	12. Chapter 12

The next morning, Derek Morgan's opinion of Hannah Montana did an about face. He'd gotten up, made breakfast, and then crawled back into bed and let the girls park themselves in front of the Saturday morning marathon. It probably wasn't the _best_ decision he'd made as a parent, but he figured that as long as it didn't become a habit, it would be ok just this once.

When he finally got up, he made his way to the basement where his home gym was, and while the girls played with their new dollhouse, Derek worked out. He had a lot of energy to work off—or maybe it was excitement. Whatever it was, he ran it off, then lifted it off, then ran it off again before taking a shower.

True to his word, he called Penelope that night after the girls had gone to bed, and she'd shown up at his door. The night was like an encore to the one that preceded it—only better. She'd spent Sunday night, too, up and gone Monday morning before the girls had awoken. He grinned as he remembered her attention to detail. She'd noticed the change of sheets, and when he'd explained what had happened with Millie, she'd begun howling with laughter.

Derek dropped the girls off at daycare—_that _had been awkward—and then continued on his way to work. He couldn't wait to see Penelope again.

___

"Oh, yeah," Reid said with a grin. It was Monday morning, and he was in JJ's office—she was sitting at her desk and he was leaning on the corner of it. Prentiss was in the chair across from JJ. "He couldn't get me out of there fast enough. She was on her way over, there's no doubt about it."

Reid refused to profile himself; although he was willing to admit that if he was profiling someone else, he'd say that his tendency to gossip was due to his desperation to fit in.

Prentiss grinned. "And with one of the ladies from the girls' daycare. I wonder how he explained _that_ in the morning."

"She was probably gone before the girls got up," JJ remarked.

"Damn," Prentiss muttered. "There goes our Morgan/Garcia theory. And just when I thought we were gonna get some drama around here."

"Should we get details?" JJ asked with a grin.

"What?" Prentiss asked.

"Derek just walked in," Reid explained.

"Hell, yeah we should get details!" Prentiss said.

Derek walked past JJ's office whistling as he made his way to the kitchen for his cup of morning coffee. None of them missed the smile in his eyes as he looked in JJ's office on the way by. "Mornin'," he greeted them.

"Morning," they returned in unison.

"Wow," Prentiss said.

"What?" Reid asked.

"It must have been _damn_ good if he's still smiling on Monday morning."

A few minutes later, he walked back by. And he was still whistling.

___

Penelope pulled into the parking lot at Quantico—her usual half an hour late, of course, and snagged the nearest parking spot she could find. She grabbed her travel mug—she loved to have it filled every morning at the little coffee shop on the corner—and her bag, then made her way into the building and up to the BAU. When the elevator doors opened, she began the small trek to her office, humming to herself on the way. She dropped her bag off in her office and then went about her usual morning routine, smiling at her three coworkers in JJ's office on her way to the kitchen to make her usual morning meal—instant oatmeal with fresh raspberries. "Happy Monday morning!" she said in a sing-song voice.

"Morning," the three said in unison once again.

And then Prentiss gasped.

JJ's eyes widened as her jaw dropped.

Reid gave first one a confused look, then the other. "What's going on?" he asked.

Prentiss flew out of her chair and threw the door closed. "Ho. Lee. Smokes," she said.

"What?" Reid asked.

JJ shook her head. "Unbelievable."

"What?!" Reid asked again, his voice rising.

"Our _theory_…is dead on," Prentiss informed him.

"What…" his eyes widened. "You think…Morgan and Garcia…no! He was on a date with someone else," Reid reminded them.

"Who—according to _you_—didn't come home with him. If he was bringing home the woman he was out with, wouldn't he have had her follow him home and then wait outside while he checked to see if the girls were asleep?" Prentiss asked.

"That happened a _lot_ quicker than I thought it would," JJ said.

Prentiss scoffed. "We knew it was just a matter of time."

"Right," Reid said. "The whole breast thing and all."

Prentiss nodded emphatically.

"Do you think she'll tell us about it?" JJ asked.

Prentiss shook her head. "No. Garcia likes secrets."

JJ sighed. "How are we supposed to pretend that nothing is going on?"

Prentiss grinned. "We put the pressure on."

___

Derek looked around the bullpen and Prentiss and Reid were nowhere to be found—still in with JJ, he guessed, so he made his way into Penelope's office. "Hey, you," he said sitting down in the chair next to her.

"Hey, yourself," she said with a grin. She couldn't stop the rosiness that filled her cheeks—they were at work, for God's sake. _And_ they were sleeping together.

"Are you _blushing_?" Derek asked with a wide grin.

Penelope pursed her lips, and then nodded.

"Why are you blushing?" he pressed.

"Because," she said, taking a deep breath. "Remember that thing you did right before you—"

"Mmm hmm," he said huskily. She didn't need to finish the sentence. He knew exactly what she was talking about.

"Yes, well…_that's_ why I'm blushing," she informed him.

"Well, if that's all it takes to make your cheeks pink, I might have to do that again," he said, his eyes dancing.

"Oh," she said longingly. "Please do."

"So…what are you doin' tonight?" Derek asked, trying to be nonchalant as he took a sip of his coffee.

She lifted an eyebrow as a grin spread across her face. "I'm guessing _you_," she answered.

"Oh, you're good at this game," he teased, standing up and placing a soft kiss on her nose before he left her office.

___

"Hey, Garcia," Prentiss said as she and JJ made her way into Penelope's office.

She barely looked up from her computer. "Hey," she returned.

Prentiss sat down next to her, resting an arm on the desk.

JJ found an empty spot on the other side of the desk and sat down.

"So," Prentiss said, giving JJ a knowing look. "I…brought that guy home from the bar the other night," she informed her friend.

"Nice," Penelope said approvingly. But her eyes didn't leave the computer screen.

"Is that all you have to say?" Prentiss asked in disbelief.

"Was he any good?"

Emily frowned, then sighed. "Hell if I know. He wanted to _talk_. Out of all the guys in the bar that night, I had to bring home the only one in the place who wasn't looking to get lucky."

"Oh, but he ended up with _you_," Penelope said. "So he got lucky anyway."

"Awww," JJ said.

Prentiss rolled her eyes. _What the hell? _she mouthed to JJ.

JJ bit back a grin. "So…what did _you_ do this weekend?" she asked.

"Oh, you know," Penelope said, finally pulling her eyes away from the computer screen. "I cleaned, I went grocery shopping, and…I watched some television." Her answer sounded rehearsed even to her own ears.

"Well _that's_ not very exciting," Prentiss commented.

"Nope," Penelope agreed, returning to whatever it was she'd been doing.

Prentiss stood up. "I guess I'll let you get back to work," she said with a sigh.

"Thanks," Penelope said.

JJ and Prentiss made their way out of their friends' office together.

"This is gonna be harder than I thought," Prentiss said sulkily.


	13. Chapter 13

Derek fell back into the plush pillows on the mattress in his hotel room. It had been six days—the longest Derek had ever gone without seeing his girls (including Penelope) and they'd just solved a big one. The team was exhausted, so Hotch made the decision to spend one more night and leave in the morning. If it had been Derek's choice, he'd be walking into his bedroom around the time the sun was coming up and buried inside of Penelope shortly after that.

He groaned at the thought—Penelope all tight and hot around him. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. But it _hadn't_ been up to him, and so here he was…alone in his hotel room. He didn't want to call her in case she was sleeping, but if she was awake, he damn well wanted her to know he was thinking about her.

So he grabbed his phone off the night stand and sent her a text message instead.

_Are you keeping my side of the bed warm?_

It was a few minutes before she replied.

_I am now. Millie just went to bed._

_It's 9:30 there._

_Yeah. She had a rough day. I think she misses you._

Derek sighed. He felt bad for his older daughter. Chessie was so unruly and commanding, that he spent a large portion of his time with the girls trying to get her on an even keel. Millie was overlooked sometimes, and apparently it was taking a toll on her. _I'll have to spend some time alone with her when I get home._

_I think she'd like that. When do I get my alone time?_

Derek would have liked to have played it cool and waited for a minute to reply, but his fingers flew across the keys instead. _The first chance I get._

_LOL I like that._

_Yeah? What else do you like?_

_I think my screams and moans are pretty good indicators of __**that**__._

_I can just hear you now…_

_Stop._

He lifted an eyebrow, a slow grin spreading across his face. _Or what?_

_I can feel myself getting wet._

_Yeah?_

_Yeah._

_If it makes you feel any better, I'm hard a fuckin' rock._

_LOL That __**does**__ make me feel a little better. But you know what would make me feel a __**lot**__ better?_

Derek sat up. He _liked_ this conversation. _What's that?_

_You. Deep inside of me._

_I can feel you right now—wet and tight. _

_Only for you._

Sweet Lord. She was gonna make him come from six states away. He jumped at the knock on his door.

"Morgan!"

_Someone's at the door. I gotta go._

_Sexy dreams._

Derek snapped his phone shut. As if _that_ wasn't a given. He got up off his bed—he would have jumped had Penelope not gotten him so damn hot—and threw the door open. Prentiss, Reid and JJ were standing there. "Come on, Morgan," she said.

He gave her a confused look. "What?"

"We're going to get our _groove thang_ on and you're coming with us," she informed him.

Derek shook his head. "I don't want to—"

"I don't remember asking him what he wanted." She turned to JJ, her eyebrows drawn together. "Did I ask him what he wanted?"

"_I_ don't remember you asking him what he wanted, "JJ agreed.

"It's gonna be fun," Reid said.

Derek rolled his eyes. "I don't have a groove thang," he informed them.

"Yeah?" Prentiss grabbed him by the arm and pulled him from his room. "Prove it."

___

OK, so Prentiss had been right. He was having a pretty good time. His girls were home safe and sound with Penelope, and he was out at a bar. With absolutely no interest in picking up chicks. He'd _never_ been out in a bar before without trying to get laid. He was surprised by how much fun he was having.

Until Prentiss got a little too close to him—grinding her body against his. Derek stumbled backwards in surprise, but quickly recovered his balance. She shimmied up to him once again and he looked helplessly at Reid—doing some awkward dance moves while JJ was showing off her moves across from him.

Reid nodded knowingly. _Nice_, he mouthed.

Derek's eyes widened as Prentiss brought her arms up around his neck, her mouth moving to his ear. "Take me upstairs," she said in his ear. She had to say it loud because the music was booming and he was certain he'd heard her wrong. But when she pulled back, her eyes heavy lidded, Derek swallowed past the sudden lump of fear in his throat. What in the _hell_ was going on?

___

JJ pulled a bottle of vodka from the mini bar in her room then plopped down onto her bed next to Reid, opening it for a sip, then passing it on to Reid. Prentiss was sitting in the chair beside the bed.

"Well _that _was fun," she said with a giggle.

"I've never seen Morgan move so fast," Reid said.

Prentiss rolled her eyes. "You didn't even want to come."

"But I did. And I'm glad," he said with a grin.

Prentiss laughed. "If you could have seen his face…I swear to God, you guys, he looked like his eyes were gonna pop out of his head."

Reid shrugged. "Could have been your revealing top," he told her.

"What?" Prentiss asked. "My top is just fine, thank you very much!"

"I didn't even know you _had_ boobs," he said.

JJ erupted into a fit of giggles and Prentiss shot her a dirty look.

"OK," Prentiss said. "Enough! One breast man on the team is _more_ than enough!"

"I didn't say I _liked_ them," he pointed out.

Prentiss' eyes were suddenly replaced with daggers. "My boobs are _fantastic_, thank you very much," she said adamantly.

___

The plane landed and the team walked into Quantico a little before eleven the next morning. Apparently Penelope was helping out in another department, so after clearing it with Hotch, Derek left to take the rest of the day off. He headed for the girls daycare, and when he walked in, Millie came running up to him. "Daddy," she said in relief.

He lifted her up into his arms and gave her a kiss on the lips. "Hey, Princess," he said. "How ya doin'?"

She shrugged. "I'm OK," she said. But his little girl wasn't looking him in the eye.

"Hi, Daddy!" Chessie said, running into the room.

"Hey, Darlin'," Derek said scooping her up with his other arm. "How are ya?"

She grinned at him as she gave him a loud kiss on the cheek. "Good! But I missed you!" she told him.

He laughed. "I missed you both, too."

"Are we going home?" Chessie asked.

He put Millie down. "Go get your coat, sweetie," he told her.

Millie disappeared into the entryway and Derek put Chessie down, and then bent at the knees so they were eye level.

"I need to talk to Millie, OK?"

"About what?" she asked.

Derek laughed as he hugged Chessie to him. "That is none of your business, little girl," he informed her.

Chessie laughed. "Will you tell me later?" she asked.

"Maybe," he told her.

She nodded. "OK. I'm gonna go find Bella," she said, running off. She turned around just before she disappeared into the next room. "I'm glad you're back, Daddy," she said.

He grinned at her. "Me, too."

___

Derek lifted Millie into his arms and carried her to his vehicle, then buckled her into her seat. "Have you had lunch yet?" he asked, looking at her in the rearview mirror. Penelope had been right, something was wrong with Millie. He could tell from the moment he'd seen her. Her eyes were downcast, and she was even more quiet than usual. She shook her head no.

"Do you want to go to McDonalds?"

"You're gonna bring me to McDonalds?" she asked in surprise.

"What? Penelope can take you to McDonalds but your daddy can't?" he teased.

Millie giggled. "You can take me to McDonalds," she said almost shyly.

They went inside for lunch and Derek tried to make conversation with his daughter, but she wasn't interested in talking. After they finished their lunch, Derek brought her home. They walked into the kitchen and Millie took off her jacket and hung it on the back of the nearest chair. She started to walk away, but Derek grabbed her from behind and pulled her into his arms. "Not so fast, Munchkin," he said. "You OK?"

She didn't say anything, just reached down to the V of his t-shirt and played with the sunglasses hanging there.

He shook his arms, her little body shaking along with them. "Amelia Penelope," he said in a teasing tone. "Don't make me tickle you," he warned.

She looked up at him and smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Why don't I have a mommy?" she asked quietly.

Derek stood there for a moment, speechless. He'd known this would eventually come up, but he didn't think it would happen so soon.

She lifted her arms to his shoulders, her sad brown eyes—so much like his own—looking up into his face. "Bella has a mommy. And Jamie has a mommy. Even Tristan has a mommy, and he's not even a good boy, daddy. He's naughty a _lot_."

Derek's heart broke at his little girls' logic—that you somehow had to deserve a mother. And that she thought she didn't.

He tightened an arm around and with his other hand pulled her head gently to his shoulder. "I don't…" Derek sighed. He didn't have a clue how to explain this, so he was going to go for honesty. "I can't answer that, Mil, because I just don't know. I only know that it's not because of any thing you _did_ or _didn't_ do," he whispered fiercely. He knew his answer was lacking, but he didn't know what else to say.

"Will I ever have a mommy?" she asked.

"I…I hope so," he told her.

He could feel her nodding her little head on his shoulder before lifting her eyes to his. "I have to pee, Daddy," she said quietly.

Derek let her down, and stared after her as she scampered off. This wasn't a good sign.

He sighed as he rubbed his tired eyes. He needed more consistency for the girls—it had been on his mind a lot lately. But since he and Penelope had fallen into bed and their chemistry had been out of this world—it had been on his mind even more. It had only taken him a little over a week of being with her to realize that he never wanted her to leave. Not just because of the sex, but because she fit him in _every_ way…her laugh…her smile…the way she _looked_ at him, but most of all, he loved watching her with his girls. It was obvious that she was as crazy about them as they were about her.

He was craving stability. And dammitt, he wanted it with Penelope.


	14. Chapter 14

"Are you _kidding_ me?" Penelope asked with a grin.

Derek shook his head with a laugh. "Nope. She asked me to take her up to my room."

Penelope's eyes widened as she tried not to laugh. "She never said a word to me about having 'the hots' for you!"

"'The hots?'" Derek asked.

"Well, what would you call it?" she shot back.

"Clearly the woman has vision," he stated.

Penelope pursed her lips and nodded slowly, a doubtful look in her eyes.

"Oh, what? You don't think she'd be lucky to have me?" he asked.

"I _know _she would be," Penelope said quietly.

Derek grabbed her waist and hauled her against him, placing a sound kiss on her lips. "Too bad I only have eyes for you," he growled, pushing his knee between her legs. They parted easily and he pushed her gently on her back, cradling himself between her thighs. "Again?" he asked with a smirk.

She lifted her arms up to his waist and used her fingertips to trace a soft path up his sides before resting her hands on his upper back. "Always," she said as he filled her slowly. She closed her eyes—savoring every inch of him. "Slow this time," she asked, a hint of pleading in her voice.

Derek submitted to her request, moving slowly, filling her and then pulling back so just the tip of him was inside of her before entering her again. He used his hands to pull his body closer to the head of the bed, his length rubbing against her core as he pushed back inside of her. He heard her breath catch in her throat as her head tilted back. He leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her throat, and when she pulled her chin back down, Derek looked into her eyes—so dark blue with passion and full of trust. He'd never seen that look in another woman's eyes before, and he was stunned to find that it humbled him. "Oh, Penelope," he whispered. "I—" The words caught in his throat. Sweet Lord. He'd almost told her he'd loved her. He brought his mouth down to hers to stop the words from trickling out. His tongue thrust forth, finding hers and stroking it softly, tasting her and demonstrating with his body what he forbid himself to declare with words.

He continued until he felt Penelope tighten around him with a moan, then summoned all of the strength he could and kept going until she came again. Only then did he allow his body to find its release, spilling himself inside of her with a groan. He rolled off her and onto his back, pulling her against him with an arm around her shoulders.

"You always hit all the right spots," Penelope informed him with a sigh of pleasure.

She heard him chuckle. "It helps that there are so _many_ of them," he teased.

Penelope laughed as she threw a leg over his hips. "I suppose…" she said with a yawn.

"What?" he asked.

She put a hand on his chest and gently pushed herself up. "I have to get home."

He grabbed her wrist and pulled her hand to his mouth, placing a soft kiss on her palm. "_Or_…you could stay the night," he told her.

She laughed. "If the girls wake up—"

"They'll be tickled pink to find their two favorite people here."

"Derek, I don't want them to get used to me and then not have things work out with _us_."

"They're _already_ used to you," he reminded her, not willing to visit the fact that it might not work out between them. That was no longer an option for him. Penelope was in his life for good now—he just needed to wait for the precise moment to tell her.

"I know, but—"

He shook his head. "No buts," he said. "Do you want me to tie you to the bedposts?" he threatened.

She lifted an eyebrow at him. "Kinda," she said. Now _there_ was an intriguing thought.

He pulled her back down onto his chest with a laugh, then reached for the lamp on the stand beside his bed and turned it off. "Go to sleep, Pen." He kissed her tenderly on the forehead. "I'll see you in the morning."

___

Penelope's breathing had evened out quite a while ago, but sleep eluded Derek. It wasn't that he was opposed to being in love. He was just surprised that it had come so soon. But he didn't know why. He and Penelope had been friends for years. She'd been friends with him when he'd been married to Heather, and she and his wife had gotten along so well that Heather had given their youngest daughter Penelope for a middle name. He figured if they kept things up long enough, he'd fall in love with her.

But he'd expected it to come logically, in time. Not like this—smack dab in the middle of making love to her. And he knew that's what he'd done—possibly for the first time since they'd started sleeping together. Derek sighed as he tightened his hold on her and pulled her closer. He grinned as she sighed in her sleep. Clearly she was as content _being_ in his arms as he was having her there. Now he just needed to convince her to stay.

___

"What are we doing special today?" Chessie asked as her little legs swung back and forth.

Derek turned away from the stove to look at his daughter. "What makes you think we're doing something special?" he asked.

"You're making pancakes," she said. "You always make pancakes when we're doing something special."

"Is it Christmas again?" Millie asked excitedly.

Derek laughed. "No. It's not Christmas again."

"Are we getting another dog?" Chessie asked.

"Don't you think Clooney is enough?" Derek returned.

"_I_ do," Millie said. She still hadn't forgiven the dog for chewing her favorite Barbie dolls head off. "_I_ think Clooney is _too_ much. Can we give him to Uncle Reid?" she asked hopefully.

Derek laughed. Millie was forever looking for an excuse to see Uncle Reid. "No, we can't give him to Uncle Reid," he told her.

She sighed as she rested her chin in the palm of her hand. "Stupid Clooney," she muttered. Her eyes lit up as Penelope walked into the kitchen. "Penelope!" she said excitedly, jumping down off her chair.

Penelope caught the little girl as she jumped into her arms. "Good morning," she said, kissing Millie on the forehead.

"What are you doing here?" Chessie demanded, looking Penelope up and down. "Did you sleep with Daddy again?"

Derek answered before she could. "Yep," he said, his eyes dancing. "Penelope slept with me again." He flipped one of the pancakes on the griddle before walking over to her. He reached for her free hand and tugged her towards him, kissing her gently on the lips, Millie snuggled in between them. "Good morning," he said softly.

"Good morning," she said timidly. He was kissing her in front of his daughters. She tried not to read anything into it, but she knew he wouldn't do that casually in front of his girls. That had to mean _something._

"Daddy!" Chessie said.

"What?" he asked.

"You didn't _ask_ her if you could kiss her!" she scolded him.

He turned to my Penelope. "My apologies," he said, trying to keep a straight face. "Next time, I'll be sure to ask _before_ I kiss you."'

Penelope nodded. "Thank you," she said amused. She loved to see Derek being chastised by his daughters.

"What do you _want_ to do today?" Derek asked, his attention returning to his girls.

"_I _would like to go to the park," Millie said.

"_I_ would like to go the mall and get some new shoes," Chessie said. Then she shrugged. "And we might as well go on the rides while we're there."

Derek laughed. "Park, mall, rides." He nodded. "Done."

"Really?" the girls asked in unison.

"What can I say?" Derek asked. "You caught me in a good mood."

___

Penelope screeched as the shower curtain was thrown back and Derek stepped in. "What are you _doing_?" she asked, watching as the water dripped down his naked body. The man was magnificent. And if she wasn't mistaken, she was about to enjoy every inch of his magnificence.

"I have to shower, too," he said innocently.

"If the girls walk in—"

"Bathroom door has a lock," he informed her, leaning back against the wall. "Lift your leg up on the side of the tub," he said huskily, reaching behind her knee before she could obey. He placed it where he wanted it, then reached between her legs to find her center, his fingers stroking her.

"Derek," she breathed.

"Yeah, baby girl?" he asked.

Her arms rested on the top of his shoulders as her upper body went limp. "You're killing me," she said.

"But what a way to go," he said gruffly, his lips lowering towards hers. He pulled back at the last second, fighting back a grin. "Can I kiss you?" he teased. The _last _thing he needed was to incur Chessie's wrath.

Penelope answered by pulling his head down to hers, laughing as their lips met.


	15. Chapter 15

"They have to know about us," Penelope said as she sat down on the couch next to Derek. Millie instantly crawled into her lap with a yawn. Penelope put her feet up on the coffee table and wrapped her arms around the little girl.

"How would they know?" he asked. "Have you told anyone?"

Penelope shook her head. "Not a soul."

Derek tried not to let that bother him. _He_ hadn't told anyone either, but that didn't mean he didn't care about her. "Well then how can they know?" he asked.

"Are we _acting_ different?" Penelope wondered aloud.

"_You're_ smiling more," he informed her.

"And the size of your…_ego_ is inflated," she teased.

He leaned over to give her a quick kiss, and then moved his lips to her ear. "How can it not be when you're constantly telling me how damn good I am?" he whispered.

Penelope laughed and Millie lifted her head. "You _are_ good, Daddy," she informed her father innocently. "You pushed me so high on the swings today!"

"Awww…thank you, Princess," Derek said, leaning down to give her a kiss on the forehead. She grinned up at him before nestling back against Penelope's chest and returning her attention to the television.

Penelope pursed her lips to keep from laughing, studying the television screen as well. She knew if she looked at Derek she'd burst into laughter, and she just didn't want to have to explain that to the girls.

"I'm ready for bed, Daddy," Chessie said with a yawn.

"You are?" Derek asked in surprise. Chessie didn't usually voluntarily go to bed. But they _had_ played hard at the park today.

She nodded against his chest and then lifted her head to look at him. "Can I sleep with my new shoes on?" she asked.

Derek laughed. "No, you can't wear your new shoes to bed," he answered. "But you can keep them by your pillow if you want to."

Chessie nodded, and then turned to Penelope. "Are you gonna be here when I wake back up?"

Penelope opened her mouth, but Derek beat her to the punch. "Of course she is," he told Chessie. Derek wasn't above using his daughters to get his way—and he wanted Penelope beside him again tonight.

Chessie grinned as she jumped off her fathers lap and took his hand. Derek stood up and looked at Millie. "You ready for bed?" he asked.

"Penelope will bring me up," she said, her eyelids already fluttering closed. Penelope wrapped her arms around the little girl and stood as Derek lifted Chessie into his own arms. She followed him up the stairs and into the girls' room, rummaging through the drawers for pajamas. Penelope helped Millie change while Derek did the same for Chessie, and then they switched so they could both say good night to the girls. When they were tucked safely in their beds, Derek and Penelope turned to leave.

"Daddy?" Chessie said.

He turned around. "Yeah, baby?"

"Today was special, wasn't it?" she asked.

"It sure was," he said as he turned the light off and followed Penelope from the room.

"I didn't even go home today," she told Derek.

"So," he said.

"I don't have a change of clothes," she reminded him.

He walked into his room behind her and grabbed her hand, pulling him against her chest. "I like you better without them, anyway," he informed her.

She laughed. "I know you do, but if the girls walk in and I don't have any clothes on—"

He kissed her just below her ear. "Then you can pull the blankets up to your chin and I'll distract them with French toast," he said with a grin.

Penelope laughed. "Nice, Derek."

"Hey, I didn't say it was a _good_ plan. But anything will do in a pinch," he reasoned.

Penelope rolled her eyes and stood there for a minute while Derek began undressing. She felt awkward. Sure, she'd undressed for him before, but it had been in the heat of the moment, and she hadn't been concentrating on her body—only about what was in store for it.

"Are you gonna get undressed?" Derek asked as he pulled his pants off.

"I think I should go," she said.

"I think you should stay," he argued. "And since I hid your car keys, I win."

Penelope laughed. "I'll use _your_ vehicle. Your keys are hanging by the door," she said triumphantly.

He shrugged. "I'll use the spare set to trigger the alarm on the panic button. Wake up the whole damn neighborhood."

"You don't play fair," she said with a pout.

"Sure I do," he said. "When it suits my purposes. It just so happens that in this case—it doesn't."

Penelope sighed. "Fine. Turn around," she said.

He laughed. "What?" he asked.

"I have to get undressed," she said.

"And it's nothing I haven't seen before," he reminded her. "_Many_ times."

"Right," she said. "And every time I've undressed, my mind…has…been on something else. Now it's just…on my body," she muttered.

Derek walked over to her and cupped her face with his hands. "Newsflash, Garcia," he said softly. "_Your _mind might have been on something else, but I can assure you…every single time you've undressed, _my _mind hasn't been on _anything_ else."

"I know, but—"

Derek sighed as he leaned down and kissed her on the lips. Then he walked over to the bed and lay down, rolling up onto his side so he was facing away from her. Penelope quickly undressed and crawled into bed and cuddled up behind him, placing a kiss on his back. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

He rolled over. "For what?" he asked.

She didn't say anything…just bit the inside of her cheek uneasily. She knew it probably didn't make any sense to him, and she wouldn't explain it because she wasn't proud of her insecurities, but she knew the type of women Derek had dated in the past. And they'd been smaller than she was, more confident. And while she could set aside those insecurities when they were fooling around, it wasn't something she could do right now.

He smiled softly at her. "I can wait for you to get used to me," he promised, then grinned wickedly. "No matter how many times you have to undress in front of me to get comfortable, _I_ will wait. Even if we have to put a damn pole in the corner for you to practice on," he teased. "Of course…we might have to ban the girls from the bedroom…"

She lifted her lips to his, kissing him with a laugh. "Derek Morgan, you are so very generous."

"Oh, Penelope," he said with a sigh. "You have no idea."

He wrapped an arm around her waist and tucked her head under his chin, lifting his leg so his thigh was resting between hers. But instead of taking it any further, he held her in his arms as he drifted off to sleep.

___

"I'm gonna put it on pretty thick," Penelope told Derek. It was Sunday night, and the girls had just gone to bed. Derek was sitting on the sofa, and Penelope was laying down, her head resting on his thighs as she looked up at him.

Derek laughed. "Do you really think that's a good idea?" he asked. "I mean—it's _Reid_. You'll probably scare him half to death."

"_That's_ what's gonna make it so much fun," she said.

"OK," Derek said doubtfully. "But if runs into my cubicle tomorrow freaking out, I'm gonna tell him to go for ya."

Penelope giggled. "I'm pretty sure that's not going to happen. If he runs to anyone—it'll be JJ or Emily."

"When did this turn into an 'us versus them' situation?" Derek asked amused.

Penelope lifted her eyebrow in thought. "Mmm…" she said. "If I had to pinpoint the _exact_ moment, I'd say it was when you…" Her voice went into a deep southern drawl as she batted her eyelashes. "Stole all of my womanly innocence."

Derek threw his head back with a laugh. "_Stole_?" he teased. "I'd say you gave it to me on a silver platter." His eyes danced as he looked down at her. "Practically forced yourself on me," he muttered.

This time it was Penelope who laughed. "_Forced_ myself? Derek, I barely had my panties off before you—"

"You were wearing panties that night?" he joked. "It's all such a blur."

Penelope moved into a sitting position so she was beside him. "Yes, well, you _were_ pretty quick that night," she said dryly.

"Hey," he said. "I think I've _more_ than made up for that since."

Penelope grinned. "Yes, you have. What do you say you make up for it one more time before I leave?" she asked.

"Fabulous idea," he said. He stood up and grabbed her hands, giving her a tug so she sprung up off the sofa. He grabbed her waist and threw her over his shoulder.

"What are you doing?" she shrieked as he strode towards the stairs.

"Taking you to bed," he told her.

"You can't _carry_ me up over the stairs!" she argued.

"Watch me."


	16. Chapter 16

"Mmmm," Penelope heard Reid say as she walked past his desk.

She stopped in her tracks and spun around. "What?" she asked.

He used his spoon to point to his yogurt container. "This new Greek yogurt from Yoplait. It's delicious," he said.

"Really?" she said, lifting her lips in a sultry grin. "Can I have a taste?"

Reid gave her a strange look. Everyone knew Reid hated eating or drinking after anyone. Except Millie and Chessie. He adored them to the point where he'd put aside his own idiosyncrasies for them. "Uhhh…sure," he said, holding the spoon and plastic container out towards her.

Penelope shook her head as her grin widened. She closed her eyes and parted her lips, then leaned forward.

"Uhhh…I have to go to the bathroom," Reid said, thrusting the items towards her. Penelope opened her eyes just in time to catch them and watch him practically sprint towards the bathroom.

"Nicely played," came a husky voice behind her.

She grinned at Derek's words. "You ain't seen nothin' yet," she told him as she spun around and headed back to her office.

"Garcia?" she heard when she'd almost reached her office.

Penelope turned around to face her boss. "Hey, Hotch," she said.

In true Aaron Hotchner style, he nodded curtly. "Penelope. I'd like to see you in my office at 2:30."

Penelope swallowed nervously. "Sure thing, Hotch," she said as he turned around and made his way into his office.

___

"He knows about us!" Penelope hissed.

Derek threw his head back with a laugh. "He doesn't know about us."

"Then why else would he want to see me today?" she asked as she crumpled up the wrapper to her sandwich. They'd left the BAU for lunch so they could have some time away from the team. It was becoming more difficult to stay away from each other and being away from the office was a little less challenging.

"Maybe he thinks you're doing a bang up job," Derek told her. "And hey—speaking of banging…"

Penelope reached over and socked him on the arm. "Would you please focus?"

"Oh, Darlin'," Derek said lowly, as his gaze fixed on her lips. "Trust me…I'm focusing."

Penelope rolled her eyes. "You're hopeless," she told him.

But he grinned at her, leaning forward to kiss her on the tip of her nose. "I'd say over the last few weeks, I've become pretty damn _hopeful_," he argued.

Penelope's heart melted at his comment. He kept alluding to the fact that she made him happy, and while she liked that she made him feel that way, she'd like to hear him tell her straight out. Penelope sighed. "We need to get back to the office."

He leaned forward to lick her ice cream then stood up. "Back to the grind," he said, taking her hand to help her stand. He pulled it behind him to wrap her arm around his waist as they walked towards the door.

They got in Derek's vehicle and made their way back to the BAU.

---

Penelope scanned some more files to put on the local server, checking the clock every few minutes in the meantime. Finally, two-thirty rolled around and Penelope was standing outside of Hotch's door. _Why, yes, sir, Derek and I are having a steamy affair. Is that against FBI regulations?_ OK, so she wouldn't word it like that, but she knew what was coming. She straightened her skirt before knocking and opened the door when Hotch called for her to come in.

"Have a seat, Penelope," Hotch said, motioning towards the chair across from his desk.

Penelope smiled weakly as she sat down across from her boss.

"I just wanted you to know that I spoke to someone at the Boston office."

"Oh," she said in a small voice. So Derek had been right. Hotch _didn't_ know about them.

"You've been expressing interest in transferring to Boston for a while now and they've recently inquired about you, so I put a good word in for you. I just wanted you to know that your work here hasn't gone unnoticed," he said sincerely.

"Thank-you," she returned in surprise.

After another curt nod, Hotch pushed something towards her. She reached down and picked it up, then opened the folder to look at the contents.

"It's a plane ticket to Boston," he told her. "You leave tonight. It will give you an opportunity to see the city over the weekend, and then two days to tour the Boston office and spend time in the department you'd be a part of. I'm sorry for springing it on you, but they're in a rush to fill the position."

"Thank-you," she said again.

Hotch nodded. "It's the least I could do, Garcia," he said standing. "I would hate to lose you, but I'd also hate to keep you here if you want to be somewhere else."

Penelope stood up and nodded. "I…I don't know what to say," she said.

Hotch smiled softly at her. "Just know that if you do decide to go, and something happens and it doesn't work out, or it's not what you expected, there's always a place at the BAU for you."

Penelope nodded one last time before exiting his office and heading for her own. When she walked in, Derek was sitting in her chair with a smirk. "So does he know about us?" he asked in amusement.

"No," she said quietly.

"Penelope?" he asked. Her tone of voice made him nervous. "What did he want?"

She lifted her eyes from the packet in her hands to look at him. "To tell me that the Boston office wants me," she said softly.

Penelope watched as Derek stood. His entire demeanor changed. His arms crossed over his chest and all emotion disappeared from his eyes. "Isn't that what you wanted?" he asked. His voice was…hard. It was a tone she'd never heard from him before. And he wouldn't look at her.

"Yeah," she said uncertainly. "I mean…I _guess_ I did."

He just stood there unmoving and silent.

"Derek?" she said after a few moments.

He lifted his eyes to hers. "Yeah?"

She bit her lower lip before taking a deep breath. "Can you think of any reason why I _shouldn't_ go to Boston?" she asked.

Derek didn't say anything for so long that Penelope thought he wasn't going to speak. The only sign that he was even contemplating was the ticking in his jaw. "You should go," he finally said.

"I should…go?" she repeated.

Derek shrugged. "Yeah," he said nonchalantly. "You should go."

Penelope nodded slowly, swallowing past the lump in her throat. "OK, then," she said quietly as she watched him walk out of her office.

___

"_Some_thing is going down," Reid said, practically sprinting into JJ's office.

"What are you talking about?" Prentiss asked, looking up from a manila folder.

"Derek left early today—which wouldn't be out of the ordinary by itself—but he came out of Penelope's office a little after three and practically flew out of here!"

JJ frowned. "Did he look mad?" she asked.

Reid pursed his lips as if he was thinking and then shook his head. "No. He almost looked…resigned." He told the girls.

"_Resigned_?" Prentiss asked.

Reid shook his head. "Yeah. Like he was…giving up."

"That doesn't sound like Morgan," JJ said.

"No, it doesn't," Prentiss agreed, straightening. She looked at her watch. "Wha—why did you wait until now to tell us?"

Reid shrugged. "Well, I'm trying not to be such a busybody, and I was doing really well…until I got caught up on paperwork and then got bored."

JJ sighed. "You're something else, Spencer Reid," she said sarcastically.

Reid grinned. "I'm gonna take that as a compliment."

"Of course you are," Prentiss said dryly. "Is Penelope still here?"

But Reid shook his head. "Nope."

Prentiss looked at JJ. "Well, you know we're gonna have to visit her this weekend, right? I mean—we can't just wait until Monday to find out what's goin' on."

"Oh, hell, no," JJ agreed.

Prentiss grinned. "I see a girls' night in our future."

Reid looked from Prentiss to JJ. "Can I come?"


	17. Chapter 17

"_For God's sake, Derek! I could have had a __**career**__!" Heather yelled, ignoring the screaming baby in her arms._

"_What do you mean, '__**could**__ have'? You still can!" he told her, rubbing Chessie's back up and down as he held her. He didn't want his raised voice to agitate her._

_She gave him a dirty look. "With this body? For God's sake, I've had babies now!"_

_Derek thought it would be futile to point out that there were plenty of women out there who modeled after they'd given birth. "What do you want me to say?" he asked. "What can I say to make this better?"_

"_Don't you think you've done enough, Derek?" she asked bitterly._

"_What is __**that**__ supposed to mean?" he returned._

"_You knocked me up! Did you do it on purpose?"_

"_Wha—are you fucking crazy? We're married, Heather. We were planning on having a family eventually. Things just got sped up."_

"_I didn't even __**want**__ kids," she told him._

_Derek's eyebrows drew together in confusion. "You __**said**__ you did."_

"_Of course I did!" she said. "Because it was the only way you were going to marry me!"_

_Derek stood there for a moment in complete shock. Was this really the woman he'd married? Had he been so stunned by her beauty that he hadn't seen anything else? The answer to that was…apparently. He'd never seen this side of her._

"_And if you hadn't come home early that day and found the damn pregnancy test on the counter, I wouldn't be in this mess!"_

"_What would you have done?" Derek asked, his jaw ticking. He shouldn't have asked the question, but he had to know. He'd seen what he'd thought was the worst of her, but he had a feeling he'd thought wrong._

"_I would have gotten rid of them," she snapped. "For God's sake, Millie! Can't you, just __**once**__, stop screaming?" She changed the baby's position so she was no longer held against her, but sitting on her hip. _

_But she'd moved her too forcefully for Derek's liking. He walked over and plucked Millie from her arms, cradling her gently on his own hip. Derek was thankful he had the girls in his arms, because if he hadn't he was pretty sure his hands would have been around her throat. "We're going to bed," he told her. "You can sleep on the fuckin' couch."_

_The next evening when he'd gotten home from work, she'd been gone—the papers renouncing all of her parental rights propped up on the kitchen table. And Derek had been furious. Not that she was gone, he was glad for that. But what if the team had been called away on a case? Did she think the daycare was just going to keep the girls until he got back?_

Derek physically shook his head to clear his thoughts as he pulled into the girls' daycare. With a sigh, he got out of his SUV and headed for the entrance. After collecting the girls, he buckled them in back and headed home.

WWWWW

"Daddy, when is Penelope getting here?" Chessie asked as she sat down on the floor to take her shoes off.

Derek smiled at his little girl with forced cheerfulness. He knew how much Chessie loved Penelope. She'd be distraught if she left. "She's not coming over tonight," he told her.

"Why not?" she pressed.

"Because she has plans."

"So she'll be here tomorrow, then?" Chessie asked, getting to her feet.

"No, baby. She won't."

"Are you mysterious?" she asked shrilly.

Derek looked at his little girl in confusion. "Excuse me?"

Millie rolled her eyes. "She means 'are you _serious_?'" she clarified. "She heard it on TV this morning and she's been saying it _all_ day, Daddy."

He nodded. "Thank-you, Millie. And yes, I'm serious," he told Chessie.

"Well, when will she be here again?" she continued.

"I'm not sure, Chess," he told her honestly.

Chessie sighed. "Well, it better be soon! I'm so sick of these stupid pony tails!" she announced.

Penelope had made her way into every area of their lives, and Derek was afraid he'd taken her for granted. He had no idea what he'd do without her.

WWWWW

She should have told the rest of the team that she was leaving for Boston, Penelope thought as she zipped up her rolling luggage. But she'd been afraid that if she'd stopped to see them, they'd be able to read the devastation in her eyes. One of the non-perks to working with profilers. They could read you like a book.

She walked downstairs, did a quick walk through to make sure her all of her windows were locked and nothing left on, then made her way to the front curb where her taxi was waiting. All the way to the airport all she could think about was Morgan and the girls. She couldn't remember the last time she'd gone four days without seeing Chessie and Millie. And she tried to pinpoint the moment she'd become attached to them, but she couldn't. She couldn't even remember when she hadn't been attached to them.

And to her surprise, she'd become attached to Derek, too. It certainly hadn't been planned, but Penelope was able to admit to herself that she'd fallen in love with him. And while she hadn't expected him to reciprocate her feelings immediately, she hadn't counted on him pushing her away, either. She was so sure he'd been falling for her, too. Well, she'd definitely misread _those_ signals. A man who wanted you didn't push you away. Penelope sighed as her Aunt Daisy's words ran through her mind. _Don't expect a man to buy the cow when he can get the milk for free._

"Shut up, Aunt Daisy," she muttered.

WWWWW

It was Tuesday, and after an incredibly long four days, Penelope would be back tomorrow. Derek was standing with one hip on his desk. It didn't even register that he was standing there staring at her empty office.

"What's the worst that could happen?" Reid's voice broke through Derek's reverie.

"What?" he asked in confusion.

"If you ask her to stay. What's the worst that could happen?" Reid repeated.

"It could _not_ work out," Derek said. He was too tired to ask Reid what he was talking about. Obviously they all knew about him and Penelope, and Derek wasn't going to pretend otherwise. "I could lose my best friend. My girls could lose the only woman they love."

"Aren't you losing your best friend anyway? The girls losing the only woman they love?" Reid reasoned.

Derek's eyes narrowed. "It's more complicated than that, Kid."

"No it's not," Reid argued. "You're making it that way because you're scared."

"You don't know what you're talking about," Derek said angrily.

"Sure I do," Reid said.

Derek struggled to hold his temper in check. Reid sure was argumentative today.

"You never failed at anything," he reminded Derek. "Until you got married. Or rather, divorced. You're afraid of failing again," he concluded.

Derek didn't say anything.

"But maybe you're looking at it the wrong way," Reid said. "Maybe it was really a triumph because it brought you to where you are today."

"Quit profiling me," Derek said.

"What? Like you don't profile me?" Reid said.

"I won't ask her to stay," Derek told him.

"Why not?" Reid pressed.

Derek didn't say anything for a long time. Finally, he cleared his throat. "Heather said I held her back. Me and the girls," he amended. "They were a…" He couldn't bring himself to call his daughters' a mistake, not when they were the best part of his world. "Surprise," he finally finished. "And apparently, they..._we_ kept Heather from having everything she ever wanted."

Reid gave Derek a confused look. "So?"

"So I won't do the same thing to Penelope," he said.

"You're comparing Garcia to your ex-wife? Derek, she's spent more time with them than their mother ever did. Because she _chooses _to. The only thing you're holding her back from…is you and the girls."

Derek laughed bitterly. "If that's even what she wants."

"How can you even doubt that?"

Derek rubbed his face. "I have to think of everything, Reid. Because I didn't do it the first time around and _now_…my kids don't have a mother."

Reid shook his head in disbelief. "Yes, they do," he argued. "She just didn't give birth to them."


	18. Chapter 18

Penelope was—by nature—an over-sleeper. She always had been. However, on _this_ particular Wednesday morning, Penelope was up bright and early.

She wanted to get to work so she could see Derek—even if he _had_ broken her heard and stolen himself and his girls' right out from under her. She didn't need to talk to him. She just needed to see him. One glimpse and she'd be OK. Well, she wouldn't be _OK_, but she'd be better. And if her schedule permitted, she'd leave early today and stop by the girls' daycare to see them. Penelope sighed. She had a plan now, and it made her feel a little bit better.

And after she'd stopped at the café to get her coffee, things would look up even more!

WWWWW

"Where's Penelope?" Derek asked as he walked out of her office. It was ten o'clock, and she still wasn't there yet. He wasn't sure why, but he had a feeling of foreboding in the pit of his stomach.

Prentiss shrugged. "Oh, you know Garcia. She's always running late," she said dismissively. "Can't help but stop for coffee—even when she knows she won't be on time."

"Yeah," Derek agreed, heading for his cubicle.

Reid was standing in front of the television hanging on the wall in the bullpen watching a special newscast when Derek stopped to stand next to him. "What's goin' on?" he asked.

"There's a hostage situation at the coffee shop down the block," he informed his friend.

Derek's heart dropped to his toes when the news camera swept across the front of the building, stopping to rest on the front door. But not before Derek caught a glimpse of red. It was Esther…Penelope's car_._

"HOTCH!" Derek roared.

WWWWW

This just wasn't her day, Penelope thought as she tossed her cell phone and purse into the pillowcase so thoughtfully provided by the scoundrel who'd seen fit to rob her favorite café this morning. Coffee. All she'd wanted was coffee, she thought with a wince.

"Everyone down!" the man ordered.

Penelope leaned back against the wall behind her and slumped down until she was sitting on her butt, stretching her legs out in front of her. She couldn't help but look around at the frightened faces and had to bite back a grin. But it wasn't the situation she found amusing, it was the fact that everyone around her was scared, and she was…impatient. She wanted to see Derek. And dammitt, she wanted her coffee!

WWWWW

"We need to get the area cleared!" Hotch said, yelling instructions to the team he'd been able to assemble.

"Hotch," Derek said. "Penelope's in there! We need to get inside!"

"You know what happens when we go into a hostage situation guns blazing, Morgan," Hotch said.

Derek ran a hand over his face. "I can't…stand out here and try to reason with this guy!" he said.

"You're not going to," Hotch said. "We got David Rossi. He's one of the best hostage negotiators there is."

As far as Derek was concerned, when it came to Penelope's safety…the best still wasn't good enough. "But I think—"

"Morgan, I don't _care_ what you think. Garcia's inside and we're gonna play this as by the book as we possibly can. Now stay out of the way, or get the hell out of here!"

"_What _is going on with you?" Derek asked.

"I'm trying to get in control of the situation, and you won't get the fuck out of my way!"

Derek laughed bitterly. "You think this is _control_?" he asked.

"Don't make me take your credentials," Hotch said.

Derek studied his unit chiefs' face for a minute, then pulled his badge off his shirt. "No need," Derek said, taking out his credentials and tossing them at his boss. "I'll give em to ya." He pulled his piece off his belt. "Here's my gun, too."

"Don't get in the way of this investigation, Morgan," Hotch warned.

Derek didn't say anything, but Hotch knew his team. And he knew the look in Derek Morgan's eyes. "Do you want me to take you into protective custody?" he asked.

"I'd like to see you try," Morgan said, sprinting away from Hotch.

"Morgan!" Hotch bellowed.

WWWWW

Derek slid his way along the back of the building, looking for a way…any way in through the back. He finally saw a window that was open just a crack and after wheedling it open just enough so he could fit through, he looked around and then leaned headfirst into the opening, using his hands to push on the wall so his lower body slid through.

After getting to his feet, he stopped, listening for any sound, but he didn't hear anything. He opened the door a crack, then made his way into the hallway outback. He found the lockers, and after a little rummaging, he came up with an apron and an IPOD. They'd do.

WWWWW

It had been nearly two hours since she'd sat down, and Penelope's ass was killing her. She had no idea what this guy wanted—and she was pretty sure he didn't, either. She caught a movement out of the corner of her eye, and when she realized what it was, her eyes almost popped out of his head. Was he _crazy_?

Derek moved slowly into the room wearing an apron, headphones in his ears, the mop in his hands gliding easily across the floor.

"Hey!" the man yelled.

Derek spun around, fear in his eyes. The mop clattered to the floor, and he pulled the headphones from his ears, his hand flying up in the air. "Whoa, whoa, whoa," he said in a shaky voice. "What's going on?"

"What in the hell are you doing here?" the man asked.

Derek's eyes swept the room, and he nearly sighed with relief when he saw Penelope safely sitting against the wall, eyes wide. "I just…punched in," he said. "My shift started at noon."

"How in the _hell_ did you get in here?" The man was getting agitated now.

"Someone…left…the back door unlocked," Derek said nervously. "I locked it behind me," he said, then scoffed. "It was probably Manny."

"Are you sure it's locked?"

"Yes," Derek said solemnly.

The man lifted his gun and Derek's eyes widened. "Are you gonna shoot me?" he asked.

The man used his gun to point towards Penelope. "Over there," he said, much to Derek's relief. There was nowhere he'd rather be right now than by her side. He moved slowly, making his way to Penelope's side inch by inch before sitting down next to her. When the man looked away, Derek turned to her, looking her up and down. "You OK?" he whispered.

"What in the hell do you think you're doing?" she whispered back.

"I'm gonna get us out of here," he told her.

She sighed. She had no doubt about that, but what kind of a man told you to move away, then broke into a building to be taken hostage so he could save you? Derek Morgan had never _made_ less sense.

"The sooner, the better," she muttered.

"You didn't answer me. Are you OK?" he repeated. His eyes looked as if they were begging her to say yes.

"I'm OK," she said. _Except for the whole broken heart thing,_ she thought.

"I'm sorry," Derek whispered.

"That I'm OK?" she asked in disbelief.

"For being a prick," he clarified.

Penelope didn't say anything, just pursed her lips and turned to look ahead.

"Will you marry me?" Derek whispered.

Penelope's head flew around to face him again and she was sure her eyes were as big as saucers. OK, this guy had to have the worst timing in the world. "Are you crazy?" she hissed.

"Only about you," he answered. "If we get out of here alive, we're getting married," he informed her.

She looked at him in disbelief. "Derek, if we get out of here alive, I'm _going_…to kill you!" she promised.

But he just grinned. "I think Chessie gets her flare for melodrama from you."

Penelope didn't say anything, just sat there, her mind racing. Number one, she was being held hostage.

Number two, Derek had broken in so _he_ could be held hostage with her. Granted he probably had a plan, but still…

And number three, he'd just asked her to marry him. This, in theory, was fantastic. But the problem was…he still hadn't told her he loved her.

WWWWW

"What's goin' on over here?" the man asked, stalking towards Penelope and Derek.

"Nothing," Penelope said nervously. He was pointing his gun at her, so she was pretty sure she was entitled.

"You!" he yelled. "Up!"

Penelope did as he commanded her to do, and he reached forward, grabbing her by the arm. He spun her around so her back was against his chest and Penelope heard the gasps and sobs from around the room. He lifted the gun to her temple. "Who are you?" he asked Derek.

"I told you, I work here. I punched in out back, and when I came out—"

"I'm gonna give you one last chance to tell me the truth before I start shooting."

Derek slowly moved to his feet. "My name is Derek Morgan," he said quietly. "I work for—"

"I don't feel so good," Penelope said weakly, interrupting him. "I think…" She hoped against hope that Derek was ready to spring into action. Pretending to faint, Penelope's entire body went limp. The man wasn't prepared for dead weight, and his hold on her tightened. And so did the finger on the trigger of his gun that was pointed straight at Derek. Penelope shrieked as she went sprawling backwards.


	19. Chapter 19

_Sadly, there will only be one more chapter after this one. __This story had been so much fun to write and I hope you've enjoyed reading it as much as I have writing it. Thank you to all of you who have taken the time to write reviews! I've loved reading them!_

She still didn't know his name, but whoever he was, he cushioned her fall. Penelope had barely landed when she rolled off him and sprung to her feet with catlike reflexes she didn't even know she had.

"Move!"

Penelope stumbled backwards when Derek yelled, and he lunged forward, his body landing on the man's.

"Grab the gun, Penelope!" he commanded.

"You know I don't believe in guns!" she shot back, looking around nervously even as she spoke. When her eyes finally found it, she picked it up and aimed it towards the two men entangled on the floor, her hand shaking.

After rendering the man breathless, Derek slowly got to his feet and walked over to Penelope, taking the gun from her hand. "You OK?" he asked tenderly.

"I'm fine," she said. "Are you—oh, my _God!_ Derek, you were shot!" she said when she noticed the blood on his arm.

He shook his head. "It's just a graze," he said dismissively. "Go behind the counter and call Hotch's blackberry," he told her, then turned his attention to the man who'd tried to rob the café. "You—get to your feet—nice and slow. And keep your hands in the air."

XXXXX

"Are you sure you're OK?" JJ asked for the tenth time.

"Yes," Penelope said impatiently, trying to crane her neck so she could see Derek. He was sitting on the back end of the ambulance, his wound being tended to.

"You should really get home and get some rest," JJ continued. "But I don't think you should be alone."

"I am _fine_," Penelope repeated.

"You just went through a very traumatic situation," her friend insisted.

Penelope nodded. "Yes, I did," she said. "And I'm a grown woman. I'm fine right now. But if it happens that panic kicks in, you will be the first one I call," she said.

"Promise?"

Penelope smiled softly at her friend. "I promise."

XXXXX

"It took you long enough," Hotch said when the EMT's walked away.

"What do you mean?" Derek asked. His arm fell to his side as he stood, causing him to hiss.

"I tried for more than forty-five minutes to piss you enough so you'd find a way in there," Hotch informed him.

Derek's eyes flew to his Hotch's face. "Are you kidding me?"

His boss shook his head. "No. But I couldn't encourage you to do that. What kind of Unit Chief would I be if I did that?"

Derek grinned tiredly at him. "The kind that kicks ass."

XXXXX

"How's your arm?" Penelope asked softly as she approached Derek.

"It's OK," he said unconvincingly.

Penelope nodded. "Good," she said. They stood there for a minute in silence before she lifted her hand and slapped him upside the head. "What is wrong with you?" she asked shrilly.

"Owww!" Derek said, the hand on his good arm flying up to touch the spot she'd just hit. "What the hell is wrong with _you?_"

"I'm pissed!" she informed him. "Did you even _think_ about the girls when you broke into a building that was being held up? Or did you just put on your hero pants and throw caution to the wind?"

"I was thinking about _you_," he shot back.

"What? Like I can't take care of myself?"

"In an armed robbery?" Derek asked doubtfully.

"I could have held my own!"

Derek shook his head in disbelief.

"That was the dumbest thing you've ever done!" Penelope exclaimed before spinning on her heel and stalking away.

XXXXX

It was hours before Penelope made it home. She'd had to answer several questions and give her statement to the police before they'd allow her to leave. And all Penelope wanted to do was to soak in a hot bath, eyes closed with the hot water enveloping her body.

She got her shoes off and made it to the third stair before the knock on her door came. Penelope sighed as she turned back around. JJ was _such_ a mother hen.

But when she pulled the front door open, it wasn't JJ on the other side. Instead, Derek was standing there, the look in his eyes so tender it almost made tears come to her own. "Hi," she said in a small voice.

"Breaking into the café wasn't the dumbest thing I've ever done," he told her fervently.

And if she hadn't been so exhausted by the events of the morning, she would have laughed. He'd come over to finish their argument. Well, this was one argument he was going to have to have by himself. And apparently he was OK with that, because he kept going.

"Letting you think I could live without you? _That_ was one of the dumbest things I've ever done," he said softly, standing there in her doorway.

Penelope stood there unblinking.

"I should have begged you to stay," he said quietly.

She still didn't say anything; she was pretty sure she didn't need to. The shock on her face was probably speaking for itself.

"I should have told you that I can't live without you."

"Is your arm OK?" she finally blurted.

But Derek shook his head. "You don't get to change the subject," he told her.

"This is too much," she said, finally acknowledging his words. "Just four or five days ago, you were telling me I should go to Boston!"

"I was a fool five or six days ago."

"And you're not now?"

He grinned at her. "Oh, I'm still a fool," he said. "But for entirely different reasons. Now I'm a fool for _you_."

But she shook her head. "I need some…time."

Derek nodded. "Take all the time you need," he said softly, taking a step forward and lifting his hands to her cheeks. She saw the flicker of pain cross his features, but it quickly disappeared as he pushed her hair away from her face and kissed her on the forehead.

"Thank you," she said quietly.

He nodded, closing the door behind him. "I'll be waiting on the couch until you decide."

Penelope opened her mouth to say something, but once again the word wouldn't come. Was he _serious?_

She marched into the living room right behind him. "I need more than five minutes!" she exclaimed. For God's sake, he still hadn't even told her he loved her.

Derek grabbed the quilt off the back of the couch as he lay down. "Reid picked the girls up from daycare," he said with a yawn.

"Well, then go home and get some rest _there_," she said, putting her hands on her hips as she came to stand beside him.

"That won't work for me," he told her.

"Why not?"

His hand shot out and grabbed her wrist, and she went sprawling forwards, her body crashing down onto his.

"Because I can't sleep without you anymore," he said softly, his lips lifting to meet hers.

She wanted to pull away, she really did, but the second his lips touched hers, all she could do was sigh and kiss him back. But only for a second. "No!" she said as she pulled back. "No, no, no!" She tried to sit up, but his arms locked around her waist and the man was strong as an ox. She didn't have a prayer of moving, so she stopped struggling. "Do you have any idea how hard today was for me?" Penelope asked brokenly." I wanted so badly to go and see the girls, but I realized that I have no right to them!"

"I'm trying to give you _every_ right to them," he said in frustration. He sighed and then his tone softened. "_And_ to me," he finished.

Penelope's head snapped up and their eyes met.

In that moment, Derek realized that when it came to Penelope, he wasn't above using his girls to get what he wanted. "But we're a package deal, Penelope." He shook his head. "You can't have them without having me, too."

"But I—"

"For God's sake Penelope, I _love_ you!" he said urgently. "My _girls_ love you. Just marry me!"

Penelope's body relaxed against his and her cheek fell to his chest. "That was all I needed to hear," she whispered.

He tightened his hold on her. "And?" he prompted.

"And I love you, too."


	20. Chapter 20

"OK, seriously," Penelope said with a giggle as Derek began to kiss her neck. "We can't be doing this anymore. One of the girls is eventually going to walk in and we're gonna be in trouble."

The door flew open as if on cue, and Millie ran into the room only to stop short at the foot of the bed.

"Millie!" Derek said in surprise, leaning over to shield the upper half of Penelope's bare body with his own. Luckily her bottom half was covered with the sheet.

Millie grinned. "Hi, Daddy. Hi, Penelope!" she said. It had been over two weeks since she'd moved in, and the girls were still thrilled to see her every morning.

"Hi," Penelope said in a sing-song voice.

Derek cleared his throat. "Baby, can you go into the downstairs bathroom and get me some toothpaste please?"

Instead of running out of the bedroom door as he'd hoped, Millie disappeared into her fathers' bathroom and came out with a tube of toothpaste.

Derek forced himself not to roll his eyes as Penelope stifled a giggle. "Can you go downstairs and get daddy the mouthwash, please?"

Millie frowned. "We don't have any mouthwash downstairs, Daddy. Remember when Chessie drank the whole bottle and had to go to the hospital? You said we can't have anymore until we're thirty."

Derek sighed in defeat. "Millie?"

"Yes, Daddy?" she answered.

"Daddy needs some privacy."

"Do you have to go to the bathroom?" she asked.

"Yes," Derek said, latching onto the excuse she'd given him.

She nodded. "Come on, Penelope," she said. "We need to give Daddy his privacy."

_Oh, no._ "She'll be out in just a minute," Derek said.

"I'll wait for you, Penelope," Millie said sweetly.

Derek yelped when he felt Penelope's fingernails dig into his back. Sweet lord, she'd done the same thing last night, and the thought of what preceded _that_ was making him hard.

"Millie?" he said through gritted teeth.

"Yeah?"

"Get out of daddy's room," Derek finally said.

Millie sighed. "I hate these privacy things!" she muttered as she turned around and started walking out of the room. "You guys have to have privacy _all _the time."

"You are _so_ putting a lock on that door," Penelope said as Millie shut it behind her.

XXXXX

Less than two minutes passed before the pounding started on the door. "They are so codependent," Derek grumbled.

Penelope laughed. "They're kids," she reminded him. "You still have like…fourteen years left."

Derek groaned as he fell back against the mattress, flinging an arm up over his eyes. "We'll be out in just a minute," he yelled.

But the door flew open once again. Derek and Penelope looked up, expecting to see one or both of the girls. Instead, Emily, JJ, and Reid filed into the room. Penelope yelped and pulled the covers up to her chin. "_What_ is going on?" she asked as Chessie and Millie followed them into the room. Millie tugged at Reid's pant leg and he absently picked her up.

JJ looked around and found Penelope's pajama bottoms and tank top and tossed them at her. "Tomorrow's your wedding day," she informed her friend.

As if she'd forgotten. "And?"

"And it's customary for the bride to not see the groom on the wedding day."

"Well, can't you come back tonight?" Penelope asked, her knuckles white from clutching the sheets.

"No can do," JJ said. "We have the entire day planned."

"Manis and pedis!" Reid said excitedly.

Derek lifted an eyebrow at his friend. "_You're_ in on this?"

"Well I wasn't exactly the mastermind," Reid muttered.

"For once," Derek shot back.

"Come on! Hurry up!" Emily said. "We'll be waiting downstairs."

The three filed out of the room with the girls; Emily swung Chessie up in her arms. "Has anyone ever told you that you look _just_ like Jasmine from Aladdin?" they heard her ask on the way out.

Penelope sighed as she sat up. "I guess I have to go."

Derek grinned up at her. "The next time I see you, I'll be marrying you."

She smiled back at him. "Yes, you will be. Are you nervous?"

He lifted his hand to move a lock of hair behind her ear. "Only that you'll come to your senses and decide not to marry me," he said softly.

Penelope smiled tenderly at him and leaned her forehead down to his. "Lucky for you, I'm not that bright," she teased.

"Thank _God_," Derek said, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her down onto him.

"Derek," she said breathlessly. "I have to go."

"I can't wait to make you mine," he growled.

"You already have," Penelope giggled. "Twice just last night."

Derek sighed. "Hurry up and leave so you can come back to me," he said.

XXXXX

Millie sighed longingly. "You look _so _pretty, Penelope."

"Thank you," Penelope returned.

"Just like a princess!" Chessie chimed in.

"But not like Jasmine, right?" Emily teased.

"Oh, no," Chessie said firmly. "_You_ are like Jasmine." Her head turned to Penelope. "And _you_ are Cinderella," she said in awe. Then she jumped up excitedly. "Who do I look like, Penelly-p?" she asked.

"One of the most beautiful little girls in the world," Penelope answered softly.

"And I'm the other one?" Millie asked shyly.

"You're the other one," Penelope confirmed.

The girls were dressed in identical light pink sundresses that matched Penelope's bouquet. They were ankle length and the girls had on white socks with ruffles on the edges. Their white patent leather shoes buckled on the sides. They each had their hair French braided, and it had taken Penelope an awful lot of talking to get herself out of wearing one, too.

Instead, the sides of her hair were pulled up, her blonde curls pulled forward to cascade down over her bare shoulders. Her gown was white satin and the straps lifted to tie at the base of her neck, leaving her back bare. The front was v-neck and the fabric crisscrossed to the waist, where it pulled in and then flowed out over her hips and fell to the floor. It was simple with no beading, but Penelope felt like a princess in it. And the tiara that Derek had insisted she wear solidified the feeling.

"You look beautiful," JJ told her friend as Emily nodded in agreement.

"Thank you," Penelope said, her voice thick with emotion.

"Are you ready?" JJ asked.

Penelope nodded. "I'm ready."

"Girls?" Emily asked.

Both girls nodded enthusiastically.

They all turned to a pounding on the door. Reid poked his head in. "You're late," he said sternly.

Emily laughed. "Fashionably," she informed him.

"Derek's having a mini meltdown." Reid's eyes fell on Penelope. "Gar_-cia_!" he said appreciatively. He lifted an eyebrow at her and grinned. "Makes me wish I would have shared my yogurt with ya!" With that, Reid disappeared once again as the girls got ready for their entrance.

XXXXX

Derek stood at the front of the church anxiously awaiting Penelope's appearance. He saw Reid out of the corner of his eye with a smirk on his face. He was enjoying every minute of Derek's discomfort. JJ and Emily marched in first, one by one, followed by the twins. The crowd laughed when Chessie used her little bottom to push Millie back on her side of the aisle, but all laughter halted as the wedding march began and Penelope appeared at the open doors.

Derek felt tears forming in the corner of his eyes as he watched her walk towards him. And to think, he'd almost let her get away. He knew he was supposed to wait for her where he was, but he couldn't help it; he took two steps forward to meet her, taking her hand in his with a gentle smile and walking her the rest of the way to the altar. Hotch started the ceremony, but most of it was a blur as Derek couldn't keep his eyes off of Penelope.

But Derek was fully alert when it was time to kiss his bride. He took her face in his hands and smiled tenderly at her, then leaned down to press his lips against hers. Penelope leaned forward, her hands grabbing the fabric at his waist as she sunk into him. She felt Derek chuckle and pulled away when she remembered they had an audience, her cheeks blushing.

She heard Hotch laughing before he finally said, "Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Mr. and _Mrs. _Derek Morgan!"

There were cheers from the friends and family as they turned to face them.

Derek felt a tugging on his pantleg and looked down. Millie was staring up at him. "Daddy, does this mean I have a mommy now?" she asked.

"Yes, baby, you have a mommy now."

"Thank you, Daddy."

"For what?" he asked, swinging her up in his arms as he took Penelope's hand and led her down the aisle. The rest of the wedding party was behind them, Emily carrying Chessie.

Millie sighed. "For Penelope." She grinned. "She's just _perfect!_"

Derek kissed his Millie on the tip of her nose. "I think so, too, Princess."

WWWWW

_Two weeks later…_

"Daddy, _what_ are you doing?" Chessie asked curiously as she walked towards her father. He was kneeling down in front of his bedroom door, the toolbox on the floor at his side.

"Switching the doorknob so that my bedroom door locks," he informed her.

She put her hands on her hips. "But how am I gonna be able to get in whenever I want to if you have a lock on your door?" she asked.

He leaned forward and kissed her on the nose. "That's the point, Darlin'. You're _not._" They'd been home from Disney for less than two hours, and already Chessie was scolding him. Derek couldn't help but grin.

She frowned. "I don't' like this," she informed him.

Derek laughed. "You don't have to."

She sighed. "What if I lock myself in your room again?" she asked shrewdly.

He grinned at his daughter."I have a key to this one," he told her.

She sighed. "Daddy, can't I talk you out of this?" she asked.

Derek laughed at his little girls' question. She was learning how to use her feminine wiles already, standing there batting her little eyelashes. "Not a chance, princess."

"What's going on?" Penelope asked as she approached Derek and Chessie. Millie, fresh from her bath, followed her into the hallway.

"We just got home and now daddy's trying to make me mad!" Chessie accused.

Penelope laughed. "How's he doing that?"

Derek grinned up at her—his grin that was sure to make her heart skip a beat for many years to come. "I'm getting you some privacy," he said with a teasing twinkle in his eyes.

Penelope gasped exaggeratedly. "The best wedding present _ever!"_

"I think so," Derek agreed.

Millie sighed and shook her head at Chessie, then went to her room.

"I can't _wait_ until I'm a grown up so I can do whatever I want to do," Chessie muttered, following after her sister.

"There," Derek said as he stood. He lifted an eyebrow at his wife. "What do you say we give this bad boy a try?"

"I say hell yeah!" she agreed. Not bringing a chaperone along with them to help with the girls in Florida hadn't been their best idea. They'd managed to have sex a few times…up against the bathroom wall.

But Derek Morgan wanted to make love to his wife in their bed. And as he walked into the room and locked the door behind him, he proceeded to do just that.

***THE END***


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